Melancholy and the Meaning of Life
by Wetterl
Summary: Nakai Hisao, a Japanese teenager, suddenly finds himself as a student of Yamaku High, a high school for handicapped teenagers. A sudden change in lifestyle. What will happen?
1. Rebirth

**I have no idea why I wrote this. I just suddenly got the urge to write a quick different version of Katawa Shoujo, and ended up with this. Basically, it's a 'route' in which Hisao changed a lot after his heart attack, and with nothing better to do started analyzing the people around him. Basically, he has a slightly darker personality, and he has a great interest in analyzing people, trying to 'understand' them. Or something like that. I'm not actually sure. Not even sure if this is a one-shot or not. We'll see later if I continue working on this every time my insomnia kicks in.**

Yamaku High.

"To help youngsters with special needs."  
A high school for handicapped students.

A high school that I, Nakai Hisao, will be a student of from today on.

I stare up at the gates of the school, a chill running down my spine. Walking through here means leaving everything else behind, to finally become a 'youngster with special needs'. Well, I guess I've always been one, it just hasn't been realized until now; chronic dysrhythmia isn't something that develops overnight. But this gate, when I walk through it I will truly have to face reality.

…

"Let's do this!" I shout in my mind with faked enthusiasm as I walk through the gate that in reality symbolizes nothing but the gate that it is. Guess I shouldn't put too much focus on unnecessary details.

My parents tell me that they'll bring the few things I brought to the dormitory so that I can meet up with the teacher that's supposed to be in the hall of the school for youngsters with special needs. A sigh is heaved by none other than moi, and I guide myself towards what I assume to be the main entrance of Yamaku High.

It's a beautiful school, that's for sure. Hell, it's a beautiful location overall; wherever you look you can see cherry trees, and although the season has passed, some of them still appear to bloom. I've never had much of an interest in such things, but looking at it as something in the yard of a school for broken people makes it appear incredibly beautiful.

The school building itself seems to be of an older style, which doesn't suit the lifestyle I've been living; growing up in the city doesn't give you many chances to be in the type of building that I'll be in a majority of days from now on. I guess it can't be too bad of an experience. The school seems to be linked to a smaller building that I can only assume houses the nurses that seem to make Yamaku so special.

What stands out from the rest of the area are the dormitory buildings; seemingly built newly (at least when compared to the style of the school), when looking at them right after observing the school building almost makes them look like modern office buildings.

It doesn't take long for the crippled youngster that happens to be me to make his way to the entrance of the school, and he does what people usually do when confronted with the entrance to a building; open it and enter.

The man I encounter in the hall seems to be somewhere between 30 and 40 years of age, and doesn't appear to have shaved in 'a while'. His clothes were put on in haste, that's for sure, and he probably didn't get much sleep last night either. I guess in that sense he and I are similar, although our lack of sleep was probably caused by different sources.

"Hm?" the man mutters as he notices my presence. His gaze moves onto me and he gives a quick analyzing stare. I guess it's fair, since I did the same to him. "You must be..." The man finally starts talking, and now seems to try to remember the name of the student in front of him; namely, me. "Ni... Na... Niki?"

"Nakai. Nakai Hisao," I correct him. "I assume that you are my homeroom teacher."

"Ah, Nakai. And your assumption is correct; I am your homeroom and science teacher, Mutou." The teacher named Mutou nods his head slightly, as if to put his words into an existence other than just sound. "Welcome to Yamaku."

I bow at the man who (most likely truthfully) claims to be one of my teachers. Raising my head back up, I let my eyes move around the lobby and take notice of the interior of the school I will be attending from now on. The inside does appear more modern than the outside of the school, so I guess that the exterior is either just for show or there have been renovations done on the inside during later years. Not that it really matters.

"The head nurse wanted to see you... But I guess it'll be easier if you take that in the afternoon. Let's head off to your classroom. The class is probably waiting for homeroom to start. And for the new student, of course."

Oh, I'm anticipated? 'The boy who entered after the start of his third year.' I guess that's to be expected. Or maybe it's not known that I am male? That would explain the anticipation. Most commonly guys who transfer in aren't given that much attention, but when it comes to girls... Well, you should know..

"Do you want to introduce yourself to the class?" Mutou's question seems strange, but a quick thought makes me realize that it actually isn't. Shy people are common, and in a school such as this one there probably won't be a lesser amount of shy students.

"Sure. No one knows me better than I do, right?" Lie. Physically, there are quite a number of people that know more about me than I do. And mentally, I'm pretty sure this teacher probably can say more about me from his first impression than I can. But even so, I don't really have much of a problem with standing out. I used to, but it seems that that kind of thing disappears once you've constantly been surrounded by doctors and nurses for four months. And the fact that I was constantly observing them much in the same fashion they were me, although my gaze didn't give the same info as their x-rays, probably didn't give me more trouble with standing out.

"Okay, then we should be off," Mutou says as he starts heading toward where the classroom I'll be spending the coming year in should be. For someone with such a sloppy appearance, he does have a walking style that seems to show off authority. It's interesting too watch such a combination, but I don't have time to analyze the way this man walks. I follow him through the corridors and up the stairs leading to the classroom.

3-3. That's what it says on the door that is opened by Mutou when he's in reach to so. Inside this room is the class that I'll be spending the coming year in.

"Sorry for being late again," my teacher says as he enters the room. I take a deep breath, more so as to follow through the 'everyday-man-ritual' than to actually calm myself before stepping in after him.

I quickly let my gaze across the people in the classroom; most don't seem to have any different circumstances than 'regular' people at first glance, but taking a closer look you'll realize that that girl over there lacks a thumb on one hand, and that girl has arm that ends where the hand would otherwise start. That boy has a cane where he can easily grab it if he were to stand up, and that girl seems to hiding her face with her hand, but you can still see that her skin is darkened both on the small part I can see of the right side of her face and on her hand. That girl in front row seems to be dozing off, using her arms as a pillow, and the girl behind her seems to only take interest in the finger motions of the girl in her neighboring seat. Deaf, perhaps?

Mutou finishes a speech I didn't bother to take greater notice of and lazily claps his hands. Whether he wished to or not, he was successful in starting an applause directed at me. I continue gazing around the classroom, analyzing the students as they enter the focus of my vision, and the applause I did in no way deserve quickly come to an end. Since the earlier man of focus has finished his speech, I presume that now is the time for me to introduce myself.

"Nakai Hisao. That's my name, if you didn't understand." The words that accidentally came out in the manner of a joke sets off a giggle or two in the classroom, and if I knew who were the ones that did giggle at such a thing I would immediately determine that they had a terrible sense of humor. "I don't really have much in the ways of hobbies... Well, I guess I do my fair share of reading, but besides that I'm quite a boring person. Hopefully I'll get along here fine."

I bow, finishing my messy introduction. As I raise my head, I notice that a few girls seem to be whispering to each other, taking quick glances at me every few seconds. Maybe they're trying to decide where how high I rank on the looks-scale. All I can hope for is that it's not a low ranking.

Mutou decides to follow up on his speech at this point, and I decide to let him while continuing to analyze my classmates. The light reflecting on those glasses shows that there's only glass on one side, meaning that her vision is poor only in one eye. The covering of that guy's ear means that he has some kind of trouble with his ear and/or hearing. Too many different diagnoses to come up with a single one from so little information. The blue-haired girl with glasses is still looking at her pink-haired neighbor's hands, so I guess that my assumption of deafness was correct. That girl has no legs from what appears to be just above the knees.

The girl whose left hand is missing seems to care as much about what Mutou is saying as I do. Maybe even less. Our eyes lock onto each others and a grin soon appears on her face. I answer with what I believe to be a devilish smile, before letting my gaze onto the snoozing girl next to her. I guess I focused on her upper body in my first analyze, as I seem to have missed her knee brace. I don't know much about knee braces ('not much' equaling to exactly nothing besides the fact that they exist), but I am quite sure that she does not wear one without a reason.

"We're going to be doing some group exercises today, so you'll have a chance to talk with everyone. Is that okay?" Mutou asks me after finishing his speech.

"I see no reason for it not to be," I answer nonchalantly. It's not that I wish to sound non-caring, but more that I have no larger interest in the question to begin with. It's not like my opinion would make a larger difference in the matter.

"Great, you can work with Hakamichi, the class representative." He nods as if approving his own statement. "She can answer any questions you might have. No one should be better at that than her, right?"

"That would be why she's the class representative, would it not?" I answer absentmindedly. Not that I would know of anyone's particular knowledge in a class I have never before been in.

Mutou hands out the assignments we're supposed to be working with, and I, having nothing else to do, head for the one empty desk in the classroom. It's easy to pass through the openings between the simple desks, as there's quite a wide space between each desk, presumably so that wheelchairs and such will have more ease passing through.

I slump into my chair and finally start to experience the fatigue of a mostly sleepless night. After a second or two I let my head fall onto my arms on the desk in a similar fashion the girl with the knee brace in the front row. However, it doesn't take long before I start to feel something stabbing into my side.

"Hicchan~, you better wake up! Me and Shicchan both want to work with you," a shrill voice echoes in my ears. My head is slowly raised and I turn towards the source of the voice; the pink-haired girl who was using sign language earlier.

"And you might be?" I ask as I blink my eyes into a state in which I'm not at risk of falling asleep. Thinking about it, it's probably bad to fall asleep on my first day in a new school. Would be lovely to hear of the consequences, but it seems that I am not to experience it firsthand.

"I'm Misha, and this is Shicchan!" she says in a voice closer to a shout than anything. The blue-haired girl looking over Misha's shoulder seems to be the one called 'Shicchan'.

"I assume that Shicchan is some kind of nickname. Either that or she had a troubled childhood," I say, my eyes directed at 'Shicchan''s. Sure, it's fine to talk to someone using a nickname they themselves use, but I wouldn't want to talk to someone using a nickname given to them by someone else I just met.

"Wahaha~ Yeah, her name's Hakamichi Shizune, but you can just call her Shicchan~" Misha says, but before I'm able to make some kind of comment on the fact that she's probably the only one who calls Hakamichi Shicchan, Misha seems to be hit in the head by a rolled up paper. Hakamichi stands behind her and our eyes meet again.

"Well then, nice to meet you, Hakamichi. I'm Nakai Hisao." Despite the fact that she probably already knows my name, as it appears that Misha signs everything to her, I feel like introducing myself for real, one-on-one. Having 'heard' what I said through the pink-haired girl's translation, Hakamichi signs something herself.

"Shicchan says: 'Nice to meet you, Nakai. I'm Hakamichi Shizune. And there's no need to be so formal; please, call me Shizune.'" Even through Misha's bubbly and lively voice I can feel the seemingly friendly tone of Shizune's statement. Of course, the smile that she is carrying might also be part of that.

"Well then, call me Hisao," I say as I bow for the third time today. Since I've been in a hospital bed a majority of the time for the last four months, it feels strange to suddenly bow so much, but I guess that's what Japanese culture's like. Maybe I've been westernized from reading too much western fiction.

After our greeting the two girls seem to want to start on the assignment, so we, like most our classmates already have, put our desks together. In the corner of my eye I notice that the scarred girl hasn't moved her desk and is sitting alone, but I don't comment on it. Instead, I focus on the assignment of the period, and with the help of the two girls we start to make our way toward finishing it.


	2. Behind the Looking Glass

"It's the cafeteria!" Misha's overly energetic and obvious comment makes a number of people throw a glance at her, but it doesn't last for long. They're probably used to it.

I guess you could say that I was taken here by force after the first half of today's periods finished. Sure, I'd have ended up here sooner or later whether I was taken here by Misha and Shizune or not, but that doesn't change the fact that this could easily be taken as a disguised kidnapping. It's not like I'm not able to enjoy the company of two good-looking girls, but this still feels kind of forced.

Ordering something random from the long list of possible meals, most of which are designed for students that need special diets, I then follow the two girls and sit down on the opposite side of the already seated Shizune. Misha takes a seat next to me as I look around the cafeteria, my eyes at least trying not to miss any details. It's obvious that that's in vain, but practice makes perfect, or so they say.

Like I've already witnessed with the rest of the school, the inside of the building appears far more modern than the exterior. It's clean, and not only in the sense that there's no dirt or such to be found; it doesn't feel like people have been here before. This room is as if someone made a cube out of plastic, put in a few fluorescent lights and then crammed as many people as possible into it to make it seem like it had actually been inhabited for the last ten years. The illusion fails to do its work, and it just appears as a nightmare instead.

After taking in as much as possible of the cafeteria, my eyes turn to the blue-haired girl in front of me. She seems to have been observing me quite intently until now, as her gaze is almost piercing me, with a blank expression covering her face. Our eyes lock onto each others, and a devilish grin takes form upon her lips. Considering what I gathered on her from the little contact we've had so far, I've learned that she looks at practically everything as a personal challenge. I am probably no different; she's most likely trying to crack me just the same way I'm trying to crack her. This contest of ours seems interesting.

Suddenly Shizune's hands start to move, signing out something that I cannot comprehend. Although I do recognize some of the signs she's making at this point, I have no idea what any of them mean. Therefore, I'll have to rely on the bubbly girl sitting on my left to make a translation for me; however, mentioned girl seems to be preoccupied with making some kind of pattern in her miso soup. It doesn't take long before the quiet one is irritated enough to do something about the problem, and Misha is poked in the head, quite hard, by Shizune, with the latter starting to sign as fast as the former's attention is put on her.

"Shicchan says that you're always analyzing everything, Hicchan." Misha's voice doesn't carry the extreme tone it has every time I've heard it until now. She might be annoyed at getting interrupted in playing with her food, but it could just as easily be that she herself also has some concern for the question at hand.

"She's right, and it's not like I'm trying to hide it. I'm an observer, that's just how it is," I answer, a small smile on my lips to show my opponent that I am not backing out. "You're not one to not take notice of details either, Shizune."

Taking notice of Misha's translation, Shizune's grin grows wider, and she seems to think for a few seconds before signing again.

"Of course, a leader must never miss even a single detail. Wow, really Shicchan? Such responsibility..."

"An eagle sure does fit for the role of a leader, huh?" Although my comment might seem like it has nothing to do with the subject, I do feel like an eagle is the best way to describe Shizune. A hunter who takes great notice of its surroundings and attacks with lightning speed when its prey is not ready.

The girls seems to be flustered by my comment, a slight flush reaching her cheeks. Maybe I hit the mark spot on, and Shizune herself has thought of this title to be the one that fits herself the most. Whatever reason for her reaction, she quickly has her composure back and starts signing again.

"Exactly, an eagle. And of course my prey must always be ready, or they won't have a chance. What, really Shicchan? Wait, shouldn't that be Washicchan then?"

Misha's comment does not seem to have been found funny by Shizune, as the eagle focuses her deadly eyes on the pink-haired girl, who immediately backs down, seemingly fearing to be on her partner's bad side at all. That in itself seems, from what I've gathered, to be an interesting challenge; being able survive a full-on confrontation with Hakamichi Shizune.

The attitude of our conversation immediately changes as Shizune switches back to a more sister-like expression. She signs something, now with movements not as 'hard' as earlier, as if she has let the challenging nature away for the time being. I'm not sure which side is the 'real' one, as I've been seeing about equal amounts of both by now. Maybe neither of them is, maybe both.

"So, do you have any questions?" Misha translates Shizune's statement, which makes the current 'onee-chan-picture' she has perfect.

"About the school?" I ask, mostly to annoy the eagle, as if to make myself appear stupid.

Misha translated my question, and Shizune's palm quickly covers her face.

Mission accomplished.

"Not really. I guess I could ask if there's a library here, since I don't really have any hobbies besides reading. Although I guess I'll be able to have plenty of fun with Washicchan," I respond, a smug grin appearing on my lips during the end of my statement. The same grin forms on Shizune's face after having it translated to her. I guess this mean that I have a mortal enemy from now on, but just as fast as the challenging nature appears, it vanishes as she makes some kind of answer to my question.

"There's a library on the second floor~," Misha says, her bubbly nature having returned with her partner's role having turned into that of an older sister. "We'll show it to you some time. Right, Shicchan~?" Shizune nods at the pink-haired girl's statement, reassuring the fact that I am going to be showed the school library by these two. One of them would probably disrupt the nature of said location, and the other would have trouble making others understand her without the former. I wonder how that would turn out.

I bow to signal my thanks to this proposition, and the two start talking between each other, frantic signing taking place right before my eyes. Despite taking my time to analyze my surroundings while the two have their conversation, it's easy to notice their gazes moving my way every now and then (although I assume that Shizune would know that I'd notice, so she's probably doing so consciously, unlike her friend), and since Misha refrains from translating what's being said I can only assume it's about me. It's not long before I can recognize quite an amount of the signs being used, but I guess that doesn't make much of a difference when I don't have any idea of what they mean.

Although Shizune seems quite good at hiding her emotions, Misha is quite readable; their conversation seems to be something that she wouldn't want for anyone in the near vicinity, namely moi, to know of, and when our eyes meet she quickly averts her gaze, her cheeks turning a deep red.

…...

Our meals finished, me having no idea of what words having been uttered by the other two (although having an idea of what the conversation might have been about), we return to the classroom. Although our arrival is quite an early one, we're not the first; in the back of the class I see the scarred girl I noticed during the morning, seemingly stuck in the world of a book lying on her desk. The serenity of the scene makes time feel still, and the rays of the sun coming through the window shine over the girl, showing off a beauty I didn't notice before.

Misha enters after me, and the extreme sound her high-pitched voice and fast steps unleash almost seems to make the dark-haired girl jump out of her seat. I don't blame her; the pink-haired girl could probably awaken Sleeping Beauty.

The girl freezes from the sound of the appearance of us, but my two acquaintances don't seem to mind it, just walking back to their seats and continuing their conversation that doesn't hold the same tension as the one in the cafeteria. I follow their suit, still watching the dark-haired girl through the corner of my eye, and it doesn't take long for me to notice that her focus isn't on the book, as she doesn't turn a page in several minutes. Her eyes rather seem to be focused on the desk than the letters of the book, too.

As other classmates of ours enter the room, her focus remains on the desk, and I keep watch on her while also responding to Misha's questions every now and then and observing the other people in the classrooms. The purple-haired girl in the front row lacking a hand turns to me once, and our eyes lock onto each other. She just grins as we sit there watching each other, turning back to the girl on her left after some time and saying something to her. The girl that still seems to be half-asleep lazily turns to me, and I nod to her once eye-contact has been established. She then proceeds to close her eyes and turn back to the blackboard.

Soon, the teacher for the next period enters, and it doesn't take long before he starts doing his job. I focus some of my attention on the teacher and the blackboard, but mostly I'm just looking at my classmates. The dark-haired girl obviously doesn't enjoy the environment, as her feet are crossed, shaking seemingly uncomfortably, and her shoulders are hung low but kept close to the body. The others mostly act like your regular students. The guy sitting next to Shizune seems to unconsciously try to take as much space as possible, signaling some kind of dominance. He seems to be the one I'm most likely to get into any major argument with, as he actually takes a random look at me every now and then with a face that almost seems angry.

I notice that the movements of the girl that only has one lens on her glasses' (I couldn't give any guess as to why she doesn't just use unpolished glass on the other side) hand are quite jagged. Could be some problem with her joints? That might be it.

In that manner class continues, me observing my classmates while paying minor attention to whatever teacher happens to be standing at the front of the room. My mind quickly gets bored, and in trying to put extra attention I tire out myself. Despite having done some easy exercising during my last month at the hospital, it seems that my stamina still isn't up to par with the average person. We'll have to work that out.

…...

Everyone packs their things together, some doing so hurriedly and others having conversations with others around them. The voice easiest to hear belongs to the boy who sat next to Shizune, the one with covers for his ears. His loud voice could be explained either by the confidence and pride he showed earlier (and continues to show right now) or that he has some problem with his hearing. I'm guessing on a combination.

"Sorry Hicchan, but we appear to have a lot of work to do with the upcoming school festival, so we can't show you around anymore," Misha turns to me and says in a matter-of-factly voice. The voice doesn't fit with the impression she gives off, but I've heard it a couple of times today already, so it's not as surprising as the first time I heard it. Shizune signs something, as if to finish off the statement, and the pink-haired girl translates: "I'm sure you'll find your way around here."

"Would you at least be kind to show me how find the head nurse? Apparently I have an appointment," I say in a voice that under emotional circumstances would be considered cold. It's not that I'm actively trying to suppress my own emotions, it just sounds like it sometimes... Or at least that's what I like to tell myself.

Misha stops for a fraction of a second before signing something quickly to Shizune and getting a response. A grin forms on her face after the quick conversation.

"Of course~! It's the least we can do." The two start to walk out of the classroom, Shizune now carrying the sister-like smile she seems to show from time to time. That smile seems to almost make her shine, and I am slightly surprised at the beauty I have almost failed to notice until now. Sure, I've noticed that she looked good, but I wasn't able to see any beauty until now. "The nurses have their own separate building," Misha continues to explain as we make our way out the classroom and towards the nurses' building.


	3. King, Queen, Jack Enter Joker

A single knock, followed by another one.

Shizune and Misha aided me in my way to the auxiliary building, the latter showing off whatever room we passed and commenting on basically everything within our view. Not that I mind such a thing, but I do believe most people would end up finding it annoying. Maybe Shizune has it easier, since she can choose to look somewhere else, instead of having to block off hearing in some way?

…

Hisao, stop thinking about the pros of different physical conditions.

Standing in front of the door marked '**HEAD NURSE**', it doesn't take long before a voice seems to invite me inside. I do as I believe I have been told, and enter the office of the head nurse of the school known as Yamaku.

In the office of the head nurse I find a man who can't be much older than 30, going through some papers. Finishing whatever it is he's reading, he puts the papers onto his desk, stands up and gives me a smile far larger than what you'd expect.

"So, what can I do for you?" he asks.

"Nakai Hisao. Transferred in today. My homeroom teacher told me I was supposed to meet you," I respond, keeping everything at a matter-of-factly level. The man's smile is turned downward, as if he's trying to remember something.  
"Nakai..." Suddenly, a fox-like grin appears on the man's face. The grin seems to suit him at least as good as his smile, probably even better than that. "Ah, THAT Nakai. I read through your file just this morning."  
"It would've been surprising if you read it two months ago, now wouldn't it?" I say, commenting on his statement, which turns his grin turns into a smile for a second.

"You can just call me nurse, like everyone else." The smile returns to the concerned look of a nurse ."Some kind of chronic dysrhythmia, plus related congenital heart muscle deficiency, right?" he continues, gesturing for me to sit down on the seat that seems to be placed specifically for anyone being having a check-up.

"That's what I've been told," I respond while doing as the man asked me and taking a seat on the stool.

"Good. I assume that you've already been briefed about the school more than enough, so I'll just quickly go over the details; Yamaku has all kinds of facilities, although most of them are for physical therapy and the like." A quick silence before he continues. "There's always someone from my staff around. Every room has an emergency-button, and even if there's not an emergency you shouldn't hesitate to contact us through other means if you have some question to be answered."

Nurse starts to check through his papers after muttering something about 'finding your file', so I let my gaze wander around the room. I can't find any major difference from any other school's medical office.

"Ah, yes," he says as he takes out a folder that seems to be two thirds of an inch thick. Wow, I didn't know I was that interesting. "You already have your medication, correct? Just remember to take it twice a day or it won't do you much good." The grin returns to his face. "Other than that, do you do any sports? You seem like you'd enjoy street fighting." Nurse seems to enjoy his own joke, as he almost seems to giggle at it.

"Can't say that I've ever been into fighting. Starting with my last month at the hospital I've been trying to get some exercise; longer walks and such. I don't have the stamina to run anymore, but I guess I could take up jogging sooner or later," I say, as if I've analyzed my own body as much as the doctors did.

"Good, good... Well, any concussion to your chest could be incredibly bad, and might result in another attack... Was that what caused your heart attack? It doesn't say anything here in the files..." The man reads through his papers once again as he says so.

"Not really. It was more or less something out a TV drama," I say, a smirk plastered on my face that tells Nurse that I won't tell him anything else than I already have. Despite being shown that he will not get to know anything else, it seems he has taken an interest in it, since I don't feel as if I appear to actually be secretive about it. I guess I've found myself another challenger.

"Alright. If you just get some light exercise regularly, that should be fine. The walks you already seem to have every now and then are good, and as you said, light jogging would be a great advancement. Although we do have a lot of facilities for physical treatment, you shouldn't do anything that strains you too much, so what you already have planned seems fine. Some lighter swimming could be fine, too, since we do happen to have a pool."

"The infamous pool. With how much everyone's talking about it, it almost seems like it's more for entertainment than physical therapy." My challenging tone makes the grin return to Nurse's face.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he responds with sarcasm filling his voice. His face then returns to being that of a nurse, and his quickly switching faces are something I find interesting. "Just remember to not overexert yourself. No risks. You got that?"

"I'll do what I can."

"Perfect," he says, again losing his nurse-face. "That should be it, then. Come see me if you ever need anything. A day off, for example." He winks as he says the last part, and I raise my thumb as to approve of it while I exit the office marked '**HEAD NURSE**'.

…...

So what do I do now?

I'm standing outside the auxiliary building, watching the school with its students leaving either towards the gate or towards the dormitory building. Standing like this, watching over people, does make me feel like an outsider, but I guess that's usually how you feel after transferring to a school in an area you've never been to before.

Hm. Maybe I should make good of my promise to keep up with my light exercise right now? Habits are difficult to make, so if I don't start now it could turn into something a lot more painful later on, and it's not like I have anything better to do than to take a walk around the school. A regular walk won't kill me.

…

I'm probably in no position to say that a walk won't kill me. Oh well, I guess that's the life I'm going to lead from now on, might as well get used to it.

I start walking around the school area, deciding that I'll take a walk around the school, up and behind the dormitory buildings and then for the first time get to see the room I'll be spending a year in. Not that there's going to be anything in there to see; it should be a practically empty room, save for a bed, a desk and a few bags. At most, I'd guess that my parents unpacked my clothes. They're the kind of people who'd do at least that much. Which means that I won't have much to do once I actually get there, and I'll probably end up spending the entire afternoon in bed, reading one of the three books I was given as a "farewell-gift".

Walking in the opposite direction of the main flow of students, I let myself enjoy the wonderful weather I have been granted to explore the area of my new school to. It feels more like a botanical garden than a school on the outside, and it's really something to enjoy; this isn't the kind of area most people ever get to spend a major time in.

It doesn't take long before the sound of feet hitting the ground in rapid succession, signaling someone running, is part of my hearing. Several voices can be heard, too, and it's not many a step before I can see that the people I am hearing are currently at the school's track. Most likely they're members of the Track and Field club, and today's meeting just started, at most ten minutes ago. I recognize a couple of people from my class, namely a boy in front-right corner of the classroom and the dark-haired girl that lacks her left hand.

With nothing better to do, as all I have planned for the day is to walk around the area and get myself familiar with it, I head towards the track to witness the club there enjoy the time they're spending there. Sitting down with my back against the trunk of a tree that stands a bit away from the track, I observe the youngsters that I believe are members of Yamaku's track team.

The voices, the brawls, the laughter. All of this is the common among school clubs such as this one. Although it does seem like a fun time while watching, I've had trouble enjoying such things, so I've never gotten into clubs, only having joined the soccer club of my former club because my friends did. It's not that I have some resentment to human contact, which would probably be a guess from someone when looking at how I act now. I haven't been this melancholic before, but I didn't spend much of my time with anyone that wasn't a close friend, so I never learned to enjoy an environment where you're surrounded by people who'd only be considered acquaintances. I guess that's a failure of mine.

"Good morning," a voice suddenly tells me from behind me. I'm surprised at someone appearing so suddenly, as I seem to have failed to notice the steps that must have been walked to come here (I was probably having an inner monologue about my own failures) and I turn my head over my shoulder. Standing there is the girl that sits at the front of class, the one who was almost constantly slumped over her desk, and whom I believe fell asleep a couple of times. The knee brace is still on her leg.

"Morning," I answer, disregarding the fact that it's currently afternoon, as the girl takes a seat next to me, not bothering to ask for permission. Not that she has any reason to ask me for permission to do so. "You're not a member of any club?" I ask, as the fact that she came up from behind me, that she's not wearing a P.E. uniform and that she has a knee brace signals that she's not a member of the Track and Field club.

"Literature. Not that I bother going there a lot, but today we actually don't have a meeting," she answers my question, her gaze aimed at the members of the club currently at the track. "Suzuki Suzu, by the way. Easier just to say Suzu. You can choose yourself whether you want to look at it as calling me by given name or calling me by a nickname based on my family name."

"Nakai Hisao. Well, you probably already knew that. Call me what you like. Would prefer for it to be my actual name, though, instead of something completely unrelated. Or Hicchan, I'd prefer for it not to be that, either."

"Hisao it is."

It seems that this is quite a friendly school, since most people seem to be addressing each other by given names. This is the kind of place where it is needed, I guess. Quite a relaxing atmosphere, all in all, or at least when compared to what most other schools are.

"So, any special reason for coming to the track, or are you just stalking the new guy?" I ask, watching the same scenery of students running and enjoying themselves as Suzu.

"While stalking the new guy does sound rather interesting, I'll have to say that I'm a guest of the track team for the day. A friend of mine is in the club. Miura Miki, the girl who sits next to me in class." Most people would at this point point at the person they were talking about, but Suzu refrains from doing so. Whether the reason is that she's too lazy or that she noticed my analytical gaze and guessed (correctly) that I had already memorized the person she was speaking of is not something I can answer, but I like it.

"Ah." My word has as little meaning as it has syllables; it's just something I said to have something to say. I guess that's the kind of thing that I would actually find annoying, but it's when you find something annoying that you continue doing something the most.

"Exactly. 'Ah'." Suzu's words bear as little meaning as my own.

With those meaningless words finishing our conversation, we continue to observe the Track and Field club as they do what they do. Running, mostly. My attention is caught by a certain girl who's shorter than most other members, if not all of them. Her legs are missing, starting a bit below the knee, but that's not what makes her catch my attention; it's her speed. She's fast. As in really fast. The girl from my class, Miura Miki, is quite fast, too, but the girl that caught my attention is faster. And it's something about her... When you look at her when talking with the other members of the club, she seems like an energetic girl, but when she's running... It's like she has all the focus in the universe on that one thing; running. The contrast in personalities is as interesting as the head nurse's switching faces and Mutou's walking, if not more.

The girl beside me seems to have gotten some energy now that school's over, as her eyes aren't either closed or half-closed the entire time. Her body is quite slumped, as if she's relaxing, though, so she's probably not incredibly energetic. The literature club seems to fit her perfectly.

…...

Forty minutes or so pass, and the Track and Field club takes a break... Well, everyone but the girl who caught my attention earlier. It seems like she enjoys running enough to keep on going even when everyone else is taking a break, and the spirit she shows for it again catches my attention.

Miura Miki starts jogging towards us (Well, Suzu, to be specific; I presume that I just happen to be in the same location) and raises her hand to signal a hello, which is answered by a nod by Suzu that I'm not sure would be visible for Miura while running over here. Not that it really matters.

"Yo!" the girl shouts when as she slows down and walks the remaining distance to the tree by which her two classmates can be found. She stops a few steps in front of us, her gaze aimed at Suzu. "You really came! And here I thought I'd have to spend my afternoon with running maniacs," she says as a grin appears on her face.

"I thought you were one of those maniacs," Suzu responds with the exact same tone that she's had while talking to me until now, the only difference being the small smile that has appeared on her face.

"Well, I guess that's true," Miura Miki responds before turning to me. "Nakai, right? I'm Miura Miki. Miki's fine."

"Nice to meet you, Miki. You may call me Hisao. Or anything else that you might found fitting. Besides Ahoge-kun, I'd prefer not to be called that."

"Don't forget Hicchan," Suzu adds.

"Oh yeah, Hicchan is also something I'd prefer not to be called."

"So you're just full of complaints?" Miki asks, the grin still plastered on her face.

"Pretty much," I respond.

"And 'ah's," Suzu again adds. Miki furrows her brow at this, but decides to ignore our inside joke. Not that there's much to know to begin with.

"So, we still up for this afternoon?" Miki turns to Suzu and asks after a few seconds of silence, to which the blue-haired girl only nods. "Great!" Miki's voice carries great enthusiasm, as does her face. After another few seconds she seems to realize something and turns to me. "Wanna join? We're going to a tea house down in town. It'd feel bad to leave the new guy all alone." Suzu turns to me as well at Miki's question, seeming to have at least some interest in whether I'll join them or not. She doesn't seem to have any objections to it, though.

"I see no reason not to. Seems like quite a good way to spend the time," I respond, deciding that time spent with these two is time spent in a far better fashion than time spent lying in a bed, trying to sleep despite knowing that I won't be able to. Although I do have to say that I am tired by now, but that's the kind of thing you'll have to deal with from time to time.

"It appears as if our party has gained a new member," Suzu comments before nodding and turning back to the track. "It seems that your club has resumed practice."

"Oh, so it does," Miki says, turning back to look at the club members that have already started running again. "Wait here until I'm finished!" she shouts while rushing off to the track.

"Doesn't give us much of a choice, does she?" I ask, more as a way of conveying my emotion than actually asking a question.

"She never does," Suzu answers, watching Miki run back towards the members of the track team, her face now showing determination, probably towards going faster than the others.

"And now we wait," I say, not really meaning anything. Suzu seems like the kind of person who you'll have that kind of conversation with a lot of the time. I'm not complaining.

"That's the plan." The girl sitting next to me with her back against the trunk of the same tree as mine seems to relax her body even more than she did before. "I'm taking a nap," she says, turning her face to me as if to ask if I have anything against it.

"Go ahead," I say, locking my eyes onto Suzu's. She nods, turns her face back towards the track and closes her eyes. It can't be more than two minutes before her breathing turns to the rhythmical one of someone who's asleep, and I continue watching the members of the Track and Field club run as I sit in the shadow of a tree with a sleeping girl next to me. And now we wait.


	4. Broken, Beaten and Smiling

**Kni9ht: I thank you for your review and am glad that you like it. I will say that I have not 'lost' any passion for the story because of the lack of reviews, but it is a fact that getting feedback will bring more hope for a story, as I as the writer wishes for fans to be happy. Although I do see that quite a number of people actually read the story, but it is a fact that I haven't gotten much feedback. The real reason why I haven't been writing on this is because I've both been actively reading a few visual novels and writing on a stand-alone work that I hope to actually get further with. (Commercial for myself: If anyone wishes to read anything non-fanfiction by me, just search Wetterl on FictionPress. I'm pretty bad at updating there, but I try to release anything and everything I write there)**

The steps of the three students walking down the hill from Yamaku High join together into a melody without balance, three different beats joined together into one to create a tune for no one to be listen to. Miki's steps are energetic, light ones where she immediately switches over to the next foot once a step has been taken; Suzu's are heavy, as if she's having trouble keeping herself upright, and my own are a bit more strained than what I remember them to be. That would be due to the stamina-loss I've had in these last four months, I presume. I have to wonder what it would be like if I hadn't realized the importance of exercise in the last month at the hospital.

Suzu stayed asleep until the Track and Field club's practice ended, only waking up when Miki actually put effort into waking her up. I could easily have done it myself, but I can't say that I didn't enjoy casting glances on the girl sleeping next to me. Even if I act like there's no such thing as genders, in the end; I am a boy.

Despite seemingly having gotten invitations from other people for after practice, Miki didn't invite anyone else. It makes me feel like I'm treading on holy ground by joining the two of them, even though it probably doesn't mean anything to the two. If anything, they're just trying to take care of the new guy; Yamaku is the kind of place where people will take care of each other, after all. Oh well, I'll appreciate the offer as long as I have it given to me, the reason for having been invited not mattering.

We walk in silence towards our goal, but it can't be called an awkward silence; Miki and Suzu could easily have conversation going if they wanted to, and there's no strange atmosphere that would make it difficult to do so, so I assume that this is just the way the two of them happen to have it. With the little contact I've had with Suzu it doesn't seem weird at all, although Miki's another case. Maybe she's only that energetic when surrounded by a larger group. Or it could be that she relaxes when with Suzu.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I ask, breaking the silence as we enter the town down the hill from Yamaku High, the school for 'youngsters with special needs'.

"A small tea house. Well, "tea house" probably isn't the right thing to call it. 'Cafe' probably explains it better, but the owner insists on calling it a tea house," Miki explains, her voice still quite energetic despite being calmed than earlier.

"The librarian works there," Suzu adds, although it doesn't sound as much she 'added' something than 'explained something unrelated'. Interesting.

"Right, Yuuko works there!" Miki says with a raised voice, showing more of the energetic side I witnessed before. Her eyes are closed and her mouth shows a grin, but she quickly returns to her earlier appearance. I presume that this Yuuko is the librarian at the school library, and that she also works in the 'tea house' that we're about to visit.

The town consists mainly of buildings of a traditional and older style, a lot like the exterior of the school, and even without having done any background-check on this area I can guess that it's an older one that hasn't been developed further. Most of the people we come across are older, and seem to be the kind of people who stay here as to be able to spend their latter years in peace without leaving the town they've lived in for their entire lives. A small and peaceful society, broken off from the stressful world of the bigger cities, like the one I was raised in. It's peaceful and enjoyable, but somehow it feels incredibly strange to be in such an environment and having to live here after spending my entire life in a bigger city.

"Quite the serene place, huh?" I mutter for myself, and my voice carries a far more negative tone than I was expecting. I do in no way hate this town, at least not so far, so it's strange for me to sound so negative. Maybe I'm depressed? That would be expected of someone who spent a third of a year in a hospital after learning of the fact that he has a major heart problem that could kill him at any time. Chronic dysrhythmia, which resulted in a heart attack that caused permanent damage to several arteries. Of course, due to my young age they also believed that a pacemaker would limit me more than it would help, so here I am with medicine that gives me delusions.

Releasing myself from my thoughts, I realize that Suzu appears to be staring at me; although her eyes show off the same tired expression as before, she does seem to also show some form of interest in me. Quite possible that she heard my muttering and is now trying to tell what I am thinking, which probably isn't too difficult, considering I'm not hiding my facial expressions... Or at least, I'm not actively trying to hide them. It's obviously something bad I'm thinking, or at least so I believe that she will believe, and if she does, she's spot on.

"You don't seem to like this town," she states, matter-of-factly. Her voice doesn't show any emotion, but her eyes seem to state that she's curious about my feeling towards our location. Miki turns to me with a questioning expression, and I cannot slip out on answering without abusing my position as a cripple. Not that I have any problem with speaking my thoughts of this place.

"It's not as much as 'not liking' as it is 'not being used to'. It feels uncomfortable, since I was raised in the city and never really got the chance to leave it, so it'll take some time getting used to. I did come here just this morning, after all," I say, raising my hands behind my head. Suzu seems happy with that answer, letting her gaze back onto the sidewalk, but Miki raises a finger to her face, as if to purposely try to appear cute while thinking.

"So you're from the city?" the runner asks, and I nod to answer her. It's not some big secret that I've lived my entire life in a city. Instead of following up with more questions regarding my heritage, she seems satisfied and raises her right arm into the air, putting the stump on the left arm behind it, most likely to stretch it.

"Here we are," Suzu suddenly says as we walk, carrying just a tiny ounce of enthusiasm. We're standing in front of what appears to be the kind of small-time cafe you can find anywhere in any town. The exterior doesn't seem to have been renovated in quite some time, but it's obvious that the last time it was done it was done with care, as it appears to still look nice despite being worn.

"'Shanghai'," I read out from the sign on the tea house signaling its name. Looking over at the two girls I came here with, I see Miki carrying a grin and Suzu carrying a small smile. She must truly like this place, it seems, as it both brought emotion to her voice and a smile to her face that I hadn't been able to witness after a day. That small smile seemed to perfectly fit on her face.

As we enter the tea house, I realize why Suzu must like it so much; it is as small-time as it appears, with at most three other groups here currently. It probably helps even more that it's all divided in booths, separating every group as much as possible without actually giving them separate rooms. The atmosphere of this locale fits perfectly to the town that it is in, as if this was actually where all the serenity in the town was coming from. It still doesn't look like a tea house, though.

Suddenly, a figure rushes over, and before my body can even react a red-haired woman that at most is three or four years older than myself is bowing in front of us. Wearing a mainly pink outfit with black sleeves and skirt, I can see that she's quite beautiful.

"Welcome to the Shanghai!" she half-shouts before raising the upper half of her body again. A somewhat anxious expression covers her face, although she seems to relax slightly at the sight of Miki and Suzu.

"Hey Yuuko," Miki says, her regular grin covering her face.

"Hi," Suzu follows, eyes closed as she says it but opened again immediately after. Their greetings seem to relax Yuuko even more, and she leads us to a corner booth where the two girls sit down on opposite sides of the table. I take a seat next to Suzu, which Miki responds to with a faked expression of anger, to which I respond by throwing her a kiss. She grins before ordering white lily tea. Suzu orders yunnan gold, after which Yuuko seems to turn around, but stops as her entire body is aimed towards me, almost as if she just noticed me and is surprised.

"Coffee," I say, not being a major fan of tea. "Black." Yuuko writes it on her notepad, still seemingly slightly startled at my appearance, before rushing off. She seems like a hectic person, difficult to calm down. I wonder what she would be like if you were to actually see her calm?

"So, let us hear Hisao, why were you disturbing the peace of the Track and Field-club?" Miki asks with a smile on her lips as she brushes away some hair that apparently was in front of her face. Suzu doesn't seem interested in the question, but she does watch me, despite being as sluggish as before. The nap earlier doesn't seem to have helped. "Interested in joining or something?"

"I just happen to enjoy watching enthusiasm, and the track team happened to be the first to appear. I'm pretty sure I'd never be able to 'run for fun', even if it weren't the Doctor's order to take it easy." The end of my statement seems to have some effect on Miki that I didn't intend it to, as if she were afraid of approaching the subject. I realize that even though I don't really have much of a problem speaking openly about my heart problem, most people might not be as open, and that might be off-putting to some. Glancing over at Suzu, she doesn't appear to care much about it, but her gaze has been shifted over to Miki, so she might feel uncomfortable with the other girl feeling uncomfortable. "No worries, I don't have any problems with the subject," I say, trying my best at saving the situation. I'm certain that the conversation will shift subject even if I say that, but it's good for future notice if it's stated that I can talk about it openly.

"Well, what is it you said in class? You read a lot? There's gotta be more to someone than that," Miki says, trying to steer the subject away as I had predicted. It's obvious that people would feel awkward around the subject of health issues around here, even more so if it was something that wasn't visible, like my heart. If she were to ask something about it she'd probably have to prepare herself mentally before.

"Not really. Especially now that I've been sent here to somewhere I've never been before. Mostly I spent my time just hanging around earlier, and then with nothing better to do when I wasn't spending time with friends I picked up a habit of reading." Of course I purposely skipped out the part about how the habit was picked up at the hospital while I was barely able to walk, since I don't feel like steering the conversation in a direction any member would feel bad about. "I guess I did play some soccer, but that was only because my friends played. In the end, it seems I just followed the crowd, so that's how it went down."

"The former you seems different from the current you," Suzu states out of nowhere. Surprised at her saying something like that so suddenly, I turn to the still sluggish girl.

"What do you mean?" Miki asks before I have time to do so myself.

"From what I've seen you're not one to follow the crowd," she simply states, her eyes lingering over me. Had her cup of tea arrived already I'm certain that she would grab it right now, just to add effect. "You appear more as a free spirit, someone who does exactly as he wishes." And this is where she would take a sip from her cup.

"I guess I've changed," I say, knowing how true her words are; I've changed quite a lot after my stay in the hospital, that's obvious. And it's not something temporary, that is something I'm quite sure of; this isn't temporary cynicism; I have actually picked up several traits totally unlike the person I used to be. Hisao 2.0, maybe. "Whether it's for better or worse, who knows?"

Miki gives a small grin, while Suzu nods, seemingly satisfied with my answer. A moment later the sound of rustling porcelain can be heard, and it's not long before Yuuko arrives carrying a tray, on top of which two teapots, two smaller teacups and a larger cup can be seen. It seems to take some concentration, but she's able to slowly bring the tray down onto the table without spilling anything, and then proceeds to pour tea from the different teapots in the two smaller cups and handing them to their respective drinker, before handing me the larger cup containing coffee.

"Have a nice day," Yuuko then says, seeming to try to act as much as her job implies her to as possible. In that sense, it is quite a failure, but the act in itself is quite a cute one, so I decide not to comment on it.

"Thanks Yuuko!" Miki says, a small grin again covering her face. Suzu nods, as if to signal that she's also thankful.

"Thanks," I say, following suit. To this Yuuko bows before again rushing off. "Hectic person," I comment on the woman who served us before taking a sip from the cup I was handed, getting surprised at how good the coffee is. Even when not considering that this place seems like the kind of place that could have a hard time just keeping on being open at all, it's delicious.

"She's not fit to be a waitress," Suzu comments before taking a sip of her tea with her eyes closed. She seems to have a tendency to close her eyes while making shorter statements, which adds to the mysterious charm she has over her.

"At least she fits better at the library," Miki comments, the small grin now turning into a larger one. Her statement appears to be correct, considering what I've seen of Yuuko; in a calm environment her seemingly anxious nature might have an easier time relaxing. If I am to continue my hobby of reading, it appears I'll get to witness her in that state of mind, too. Lovely.

"Well, Hisao, there's gotta be something else about you. You can't live for 18 years and just be 'some guy who reads and used to play soccer'. There's gotta be something more..." Again, Miki places her finger to her mouth, as if to increase her cuteness while thinking. It doesn't do much in 'adding', but it makes me take another look at her to see her beauty. Somehow, it feels like practically all the girls around Yamaku are well above average in looks. Not that I'm complaining. "What about love?" she finally asks, and since she soon after puts on a devilish smile I assume that my reaction must have been a funny one. It wouldn't surprise me if I had gone pale, neither if I was blushing, although the latter doesn't seem to be correct as my cheeks don't feel any hotter.

"Let's just say that there's been some really bad luck on that front," I find myself saying, lowering my gaze to the cup in my hand. How should I have reacted? I shocked even myself at my awkwardness on the subject, but I guess that's to be expected from someone who nearly died from a love confession. A side glance to Suzu shows me that she's intently watching me. Maybe romance is something she has the same interest in as other girls, unlike what she's showed about most other aspects.

"Ooh, now you have us interested. What happened? Did a girl leave you for her best friend, whom you also had had a crush for? Or maybe she was actually a cult leader, and tried to sacrifice you to their god?" Miki asks, probably finding my reactions hilarious. Come on Hisao, calm down! Remember; keep yourself calm, take full control of your own body!

Why doesn't it work!?

"Please do tell," Suzu inquires as well.

Shit. I'm not getting out of this.

"Alright, alright," I say, sighing. Calm down. Take a deep breath. You don't have a choice. "It was a winter afternoon, snow covering the ground. The boy stood among the trees on the end of area that belonged to the school, the place where couples would spend their breaks during summer. Earlier that day he had found a note in his notebook that signaled him to be there 4 pm." Good, Hisao. Put distance between yourself and the story. Things will turn worse if you act awkward about it, especially since they haven't understood what's to come yet. "Standing there in the cold, he suddenly heard a voice calling out to him. A voice carrying shyness, as if its owner wasn't expecting the one she called out to to actually be there."

Taking a sip from my coffee, I look at the girls that are intently listening to my story; Miki sits pretty much still, her left arm pushed as far behind her back as possible without inflicting pain upon herself, and Suzu is sitting with her head rested upon her own shoulder, watching me with eyes that carry barely any of the tiredness they showed before.

"The boy instantly recognized the voice as that of a certain girl in his class. None other than the one girl that all the boys admired, actually. He turned to face her, before asking her about the note he had found. Of course, it was obvious that it was a note from her, but he had to assure himself. He could feel his heart beat faster and faster as the girl slowly asked him a question that he had never expected to be asked by this girl: 'Will you go out with me?'."

"Ladies' man Hisao!" Miki says with a slight giggle to her voice. Suzu doesn't say anything at all, continuing to watch me, waiting for me to continue the story.

"The boy had just heard the girl he admired ask him to go out with her. Of course, he wanted to say something. Anything, really. But he couldn't think of anything to say. His heart was beating faster than ever before. And then, when he finally tried to get something out of his mouth, he couldn't say anything. His throat was too dry. Trying to do something about that, he tried to raise his hand to his throat to massage it. That didn't work either. And then his heart stopped beating." I take a deep breath before letting the cup in my hand to my mouth and drinking what's left in it. Placing the cup back on the table, I look at the two girls. The one next to me doesn't seem to give much of a reaction, but her eyes seem to carry at least some kind of shock, while the one in front of he has dropped her grin completely, her eyes now shot open.

"I'm sorry, Hisao. I didn't mean to..." Miki tries to apologize, but doesn't seem able to come up with the word.

"Don't apologize. You didn't do anything wrong. Like I said, I have no problems with talking about the subject. I just haven't told anyone about it before, so it felt a little strange to do it," I answer, letting a small smile to lips to try to lighten the mood a little.

Suddenly, Suzu sighs, and I turn to her. Her sluggishness seems to have returned, so I assume that whatever shock or surprise that she might have experienced has been lost by now. I'm thankful that at least one of them seems to understand that I prefer if they act natural; like I said, I don't want the subject to be taboo, as it is a major part of my life.

"I don't like this gloomy atmosphere. Would prefer if we came up with a better subject," Suzu states, having found the atmosphere disturbing.

"Sounds like a plan to me," I respond, turning to Miki, who nods before letting her regular grin back onto her lips. I order another cup of coffee and our conversation returns to the lighthearted one you would usually find between youngsters getting to know each other.


	5. A Night to Remember, A Knight to Forget

The horrid stench of the rotten bodies that somehow keep on living fills my nose, and had the Darkness not been consuming me I would probably be watching those inhuman creatures that barely even resemble humanoids coming towards me. But soon I'll be free from this Hell, soon I'll be free, as soon as the Darkness consumes my mind there will be nothing left, and I shall be free. Eternal pain of all the realms of the universes screams throughout my body, but worst of all is still that horrible, horrible stench, and I wish that I could get rid of that stench, but I know that it will be left there until the Darkness has done it's work. The Darkness grows even darker, and as the stench grows in strength I finally feel myself slipping, slipping into the eternal Darkness, away from all that carries anything, and away from all the pain and stench...

My eyes shooting open, I feel my body covered in cold sweat as I wake up. Rapid breaths, and my heartbeat is far quicker than it should be.

Calm down, Hisao. Deep breaths, remember that. Deep breaths.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Repeat

Finally feeling like I've been able to calm myself down, I try to listen to my own heartbeat. Well, more like 'sense' my heartbeat, as it's quite difficult to determine what sense you're actually experiencing your heartbeat with. A question difficult to answer; you're both 'feeling' it and 'hearing' it at once, but neither are truly the way you experience it. Going past the way of experiencing your own heartbeat (if the guy who constantly is experiencing his heartbeat can't determine how you do that, there's no point in even trying), I'm pretty sure my heart is stable. My pulse is higher than usual, which is a risk-zone in itself, but it isn't dangerous; whatever little rhythm I can have is there.

Another deep breath, and I think back on what caused me to jolt into awareness so easily; I've already forgotten the majority of it, but the nightmare I had is for sure one I've had several times before. If I'm not mistaken, the less you sleep the higher the risk of having a nightmare is; combining the insomnia with hallucinations isn't the best idea, then. Which sort of makes the different side effects of my medications seem like hell on Earth. To think that there are people that experience this kind of world without taking any kind of drugs. I feel sorry for them.

Taking a glance over at my alarm clock, I see that it's currently 12:30 am, which means that I've had at most three hours of sleep, since the last time I checked it was just before 9:30 pm. Of course, it felt like an eternity between then and when I fell asleep, but you can't really trust your sense of time when you haven't slept for 40 hours. Bringing my palm to my face and grabbing a hold of it, as if to drain away the sleepiness and tiredness that's still left (considering I probably won't be able to go to sleep for at least another hour or so) I stand up.

Unless my memory's mistaken, I got back to the school around 6:45 pm, having spent the afternoon with Miki and Suzu, before having dinner at the cafeteria (not that I had a huge appetite, the combination of lack of hunger and the 'taste' of what I'd been served there earlier being the reasons) and then coming here. There was a note from my parents with something about unpacking written on it, but at that point I had too little energy to do anything but throw myself on the bed and try to sleep. Like I mentioned, though, I wasn't able to do so before 9:30 pm at earliest. Insomnia; not being able to sleep, yet being far too tired to do anything but try to sleep.

Having been bolted awake by a nightmare, however, makes me force myself up, at least for long enough to forget enough about the nightmare to be able to close my eyes without fear of seeing whatever I was dreaming of. I take a few groggy steps towards the door, taking care not to accidentally collapse onto my desk while doing so. Succeeding, I open up the door and walk out into the corridor, which is surprisingly cold for being inside and at this time of the year. It's late spring, I shouldn't be getting goosebumps from being in a corridor while wearing my... uniform.

It has taken me this long to realize that I didn't even both to take off my uniform last night before throwing myself onto my bed. Somehow I feel that I should be incredibly disappointed in my lack of knowledge of the world around me, considering that my favorite hobby in the hospital was, quite specifically, observing people... And thinking about it like that really makes me sound like a stalker, which is something I'd prefer not to think of myself as unless absolutely necessary.

Having entered the bathroom without thinking about it, I walk over to the faucet and turn it on, filling my cupped hands with water which I then take to my face. It washes away most of the weariness left in my mind, and I take a deep breath before standing up again. I immediately close my eyes after doing so, though, as the sight of the deformed , hairless humanoid with peeling, rotten skin and eyes about to pop out of their sockets makes me feel uncomfortable.

Hallucinations. I'm pretty sure I'm nowhere close to a state where I should trust my own mind, but if I'm not mistaken three different of my medications have that as a side effect. Few, when compared to the seven that have insomnia, but it's still not a pleasant thing to think about; three of the pills I take to survive can change my mind to such a degree, without actually existing for that purpose.

Opening my eyes again, I'm glad to see that the monstrosity that my mind summoned has disappeared, hopefully not to return at least in the immediate future. Taking a good look in the mirror I see that, besides my sloppy appearance, I seem to be shedding tears. Letting my ears work a little, I also realize that I am sobbing, which pretty much exclusively means that I should be crying. There could probably be a few other possibilities, but I'm almost 100% certain that those possibilities are wrong and that I am currently crying.

Taking a few awkward steps backward and leaning my back against the wall, I let the tears flow from my eyes, without knowing the reason for them doing so. Eventually I find myself half-sitting, half-lying on the floor with my back against the very same wall I was leaning against a minute ago. Or maybe a few hours. You can never really be completely sure, can you?

My hearing eventually tells me that I have stopped sobbing, and it feels like the tears have stopped flowing from my eyes. Raising my head, the monster that I saw earlier still hasn't returned, so I focus some strength into my arms and lift myself up. A look in the mirror confirms that my eyes are redder than I ever imagined eyes could be, and I leave the bathroom and return to my own room where the alarm clock confirms that ten minutes have passed since I woke up. With nothing better to do, I lie down on my bed, my eyes stuck on the unfamiliar roof of the room that I will spend almost an entire year calling my own.

Lying there, watching the roof for what must be at least three eternities, I then turn to face the alarm clock to see that four minutes have passed since I returned to the room. Sighing and closing my eyes, I move my face back to where I'll be able to see the same spot on the roof that I was watching for three eternities earlier. I open my eyes, looking at that very same spot for a few minutes before turning back to the alarm clock to see that half an hour has passed. My sense of time is really messed up right now.

Letting my gaze back onto the same spot on the roof that I've been observing until now, I decide that I might as well try to get some sleep already. Even if I'm not able to go to sleep, I'll probably waste less energy trying to rest than if I were to continue watching the same unchanging spot, thinking about the different effects medications have on the human body and mind. Having decided that, I close my eyes and let time pass as I try to drift off into slumber.

…...

Yawning as I enter the cafeteria, I get a number of dishes that can barely resemble breakfast, and even less a meal. Although not sure when I fell asleep, I'm certain that I got at least another hour of 'good' rest (good here symbolizing sleep during which I didn't wake up covered in cold sweat every ten minutes). It's early, so early that if this school's clubs do have morning practice, the students attending it haven't arrived to have breakfast yet. Or maybe the clubs just don't have morning practice. Any the case, the cafeteria is empty, save for enough students that I'd be able to count them on a single hand. Among these scattered students I recognize a single light blue-haired and seemingly tired girl, whom I walk over to.

"Mind if I take a seat?" I ask, my voice suggesting that I look about the same as Suzu appears to do all the time. Most likely some kind of sleep problem. I heard that people with some sleep disorders that take medicine for it usually are quite tired and have to take several naps a day, so maybe it's something like that.

"Go on ahead," she responds with a bland tone, looking up at me while doing so and gesturing with her eyes for me to sit down in front of her, which I do. Although she has a higher number of items on her tray, since there does not seem to have been much eating done on them I have to believe that her appetite this morning is the same as mine. Even if my guess on her having some kind of sleeping disorder that causes her to sleep a lot is correct, it appears to be to little even for someone who sleeps that much. Not that I'm one to say something.

My gaze is stuck on my tray, my body not feeling like heightening itself at all. I'm utterly exhausted, despite having gotten a little sleep tonight. It's not like that incident in the bathroom helped out on the energy-front, and on top of that I was thinking about the side-effects of medicines for quite some time.

Taking a deep breath and closing my eyes, to drag forth what little energy might be left in my body, I raise my head. Reopening my eyes, I see that Suzu is watching me quite intently, almost as if she was trying to look right into my soul. Considering the way I'm currently feeling, that probably wouldn't be too difficult of a task for anyone, really.

"Rough night?" she asks with a voice that seems to carry something deeper than what her usual bland words do. Here, a 'rough night' is probably more than when you have a hard time going to sleep. And considering the way I probably look right now, the words 'rough night' would most likely not be enough to contain what I've been experiencing. Of course, last night was even worse than usual, the cause most likely being the change of environment, so I guess when compared to regular nights it would be rough.

Wait. Why am I even debating on the definition of 'rough night'?

"You could say that," I respond, trying to maintain the energy I was able to gather to such a degree that I'll be able to keep on staying awake until no longer necessary. "Hallucinations and things like that, so nothing out of the ordinary." It's not like I'm lying; hallucinations have been quite common, especially during the nights; the difference is that they haven't been as uncomfortable as that monstrosity I saw in the mirror.

"I know the feeling," she says, giving a slight nod while doing so. The mysterious, almost lady-like charm just keeps on increasing, and it wouldn't surprise me if she were to be a mother figure to someone. Suzu seems to go into thought, her focus going away from me, as she puts a piece of the bread on her tray into her mouth. Her focus soon returns to me. "Wanna do something else? I'm guessing you won't be able to keep any kind of focus in class."

"Skipping class on the second day of school? I'm game," I answer without really thinking about it. Not that any major thoughts could be done by me right now, which is a pretty good reason not to be trying to learn anything in my current state of mind. And it's not like I'll decline the good will of a good-looking girl just like that.

...Damn, this way of thinking is going to get me killed one of these days. Y'know, with the heart problem and all.

"Anything special in mind? I want my first time here to be special," I say with the tone of voice of an innocent girl who barely knows what she's getting into by uttering those words. Of course, Suzu seems as oblivious to the way I said it as she seems to everything, although I'm quite certain that she's just actively ignoring the idiocies of the world. Or maybe I just got my hopes up for nothing.

"Not really," she responds, putting another piece of bread into her mouth. Somehow it seems like she doesn't chew or swallow it, but rather that it's just disintegrated the moment she closes her lips. "Although I guess I know a place."

"And what might this place be?" I ask, obviously wondering what this place of hers for skipping class might be. It's not every day that you're told of a secret location that's said to be perfect to spend time in when you're not in the mood to do what you actually should be doing.

"Clubroom for the second literature club," Suzu answers my question. A clubroom, huh? To think I'd never thought of it in my old school; a clubroom is the obvious place to be if skipping class, since no one will go there during the day. Unless, of course, someone were to have to go get something the club used.

"Won't anyone come to get something they forgot during club activities?" I voice my concern, although I'm not really in the mood to care if such a thing were to happen. I'm mostly just being rebellious for the sake of being rebellious, like the good teenager I am.

"The second literature club was disbanded at the end of last year. Most of the members were third years, so the school believed that there weren't enough members left to keep up an entire club. Any member of the second literature club that didn't object to it were instead switched over to the first, and now only, literature club," she explains to me.

"Oh."

"Since an extra key had been made that the teachers didn't have cataloged, it just happened to come into my hand eventually."

Well, it seems quite convenient to have a key to an unused room with no one else knowing of the existence of said key. I would never say no to such a luxury, so I can't judge anyone else that has accepted such a right. Still, it does arouse suspicion that a student would have access to a room that most teachers probably don't have access to, but you take the chance when it comes, eh?

With minimum conversation we 'continue' the breakfast that can barely be considered that, as neither of us seems to have any appetite, I because of my legal drugs and insomnia, she for some reason I do not know. While you probably can't call this breakfast, I really appreciate having some kind of company this morning, with all that went down during the night and all. Thinking about my thankfulness, I put a piece of bread in my mouth, trying my best to enjoy the dry taste.


	6. Absolute Serenity

"Wow."

"Isn't as shabby as it sounds when you say 'abandoned classroom'."

Following Suzu into the former clubroom of the second literature club, I'm marveled at the way the room looks; although no larger than any other classroom in the building, the room lacks the regular desks which makes it feel more spacious, and the couches, armchairs and bookshelves makes it seem more like a living room than a room in a school building. Although this was supposed to be a literature club's clubroom, there's a guitar hanging on a wall, and in a corner I can see a turntable accompanied by what appears to be a box filled with vinyl discs.

"This... Does not feel like a clubroom," I say, no better words coming to my mind. I'm shocked to see a room like this right in a school, as if mocking the very existence of classrooms in the same building. It's stunning, to say the least, and I'm wondering whether this is just some strange illusion or not, another hallucination caused by my medications. But laying my gaze onto the girl standing in the middle of the room, I can accept that this is not just my mind playing tricks on me.

"One of the members was the child of someone who'd given quite a sum in donations, so the club was able to get some 'special treatment'," Suzu explains, slowly taking small steps towards the windows, that currently have their blinds down. "Of course, the students had to pay for anything that wasn't possible to claim as 'literature accessories' by themselves, but considering the cost of enrolling here in the first place, that wasn't too difficult." Turning her head over her shoulder, towards me, our eyes lock onto each others as she pulls up the blinds.

"Since you know so much about the second literature club, I'll take a wild guess and say that you were a member," I say as I walk over to the windows and look out. As I noticed yesterday, although the season for them has passed, some of the cherry trees are still in bloom, and it is quite beautiful, even if they only are a few and far apart. The entire area of the school seems like something out of a movie, the kind of atmosphere lifted directly from some kind of story. Out of the corner of my eye I can see Suzu nodding to answer my question while looking out at the same world as I.

"I was actually the vice president," she mentions, and I'm not sure whether it's a form of bragging or just a fact she felt the need to mention, but I am not surprised. If the club was as relaxed as it seems to have been, she would easily fit into that atmosphere, and if I were a member of a club like that I'd probably think that someone like Suzu would be the perfect vice president.

"That explains the key," I voice my thoughts, and turning my head towards the girl I can see a small smile on her lips. Relaxed and nonchalant, like her usual demeanor, but it's a warm smile that seems to contradict the person I met yesterday. Most people aren't as cold as they seem to be on the outside, they usually just find it easier to deal with people that way. I'm not complaining about getting to see a 'warmer' side of her, absolutely not.

The sun, having risen less than an hour ago, seems to have brought me some new energy, which is greatly appreciated. Although if this keeps on, this won't be able to be counted as 'missing school due to health issues' and will end up considered regular skipping. Not that it really matters to me; worst case scenario, I'll have to report the reason for having missed class, and I don't have much of a problem taking confrontations of that kind.

"For this to be considered therapeutic leave, you should at least get some rest," Suzu says, continuing to watch the courtyard of Yamaku. "The couches are quite comfortable." Letting my gaze wander over the scenery another time, I then follow Suzu's proposition and walk back to the center of the room, where I take my time lying down on the smallest of the three couches. I have no idea why I chose to lie down in this one, considering almost a third of my legs are dangling over the opposite armrest of the one I have my head on, but that's the way it went.

My gaze lying on the roof, like it had during the night, my ears pick up the sound of light steps; the girl seems to be moving towards the corner where I saw the vinyl player earlier. After a few seconds she stops, and a rustling noise takes the place of her steps. Something sliding out, something being put onto something else, some plastic stick-like object being moved, someone pressing a button. And then...

A soft melody reaches my ears, played on what I'm pretty certain to be a piano, and as the turntable plays the record that has been placed on it Suzu walks over to one of the two armchairs the room holds, sitting down as she reaches it. Turning my eyes toward her, she has her own closed, most likely enjoying the tune playing, relaxing to it. An image of serenity, accompanied by a tune which name is unknown to the current watcher of the picture. Knowing the name of the piece wouldn't serve to enhance the presence in front of my eyes in any way at all.

"..." I'm left speechless at the sight. Not that I have any intention of saying anything, but even if I wanted to say something I wouldn't be able to. The charm that I've felt from Suzu during the little time I've spent with her, the one that I could only explain as lady-like, even if there was a significant difference between it and that of a lady's, that charm currently feels otherworldly, filling the room like a gas. I'm probably incredibly strange for experiencing this moment like this, but she feels holy, as if she were a saint... That would make the second time she's given off that kind of experience to me in the same number of days.

Feeling unworthy of this scene, I turn my face back towards the roof before closing my eyes and let my hearing take main priority as a sense. The absolute serenity continues even after my sight is robbed by my eyelids, and I let myself enjoy it as my mind wanders away from reality.

…...

Opening my eyes, I immediately notice that the roof that I am looking up at is not that of either the room I have at home or the one in the hospital. Two seconds later I remember my current situation, and I look over to the armchair where Suzu was sitting when I closed my eyes and presumably when I fell asleep. Not yet awake enough to feel any surprise, I don't have much of a reaction to find that she isn't currently there. Although I'm not sure I'd be surprised if I'd been able to be so, though.

Considering that I feel tired even as of waking up, I presume that I had quite a good sleep, and while I feel groggy I slowly sit up, stretching my arms while doing so. Taking a look around the room, it seems as though its appearance has not changed in the slightest, the one exception being the fact that the girl that sat in an armchair earlier currently is sitting on the windowsill with a book in her hands. Either she has failed to notice the fact that I've woken up, or she just doesn't care about it.

"I'm not sure how I should feel about having been watched over while sleeping," I comment tiredly about the current situation. Of course, I don't really feel much about it at all, but sometimes you just have to make some kind of comment, and for me this is one of those situations... I may or may not be a bad person like that.

"I thought boys enjoyed the company of girls," Suzu answers, seemingly no reaction at me being awake and not even letting her gaze leave the book in her hands. Her eyes move quite quickly over the page, so I'll have to presume that she's quite the quick reader.

"You got it wrong; boys enjoy the company of beautiful girls," I correct her, trying my best to take on some kind of teasing tone but failing, still not being awake enough to have full control of my own vocal chords. The girl's eyes stop after hearing my words, her face then raised and gaze pointed at me.

"So I'm not beautiful?" she asks, tilting her head to the side just a little as if to push the question forward even further. Either Suzu is too straightforward to be able to tease, or she loves to play an idiot, and I'm not exactly sure why, but I do feel as if the latter would be closer to the truth than the earlier.

"I didn't say that I don't enjoy it," I answer, a small smile forming on my lips at the peculiar girl with whom I'm currently having this conversation. She's good-looking, that's true, but that also seems to be the norm for this school, so I guess I can't really say much at all. Suzu nods, having heard my answer, and resumes reading the book in her hands, still sitting on the windowsill. The serene atmosphere surrounding her, at least when she's not interrupted by the outside world, remains here, filling the room like the theoretical gas I thought of earlier.

Taking my cellphone out of my pocket, it seems that lunch is just twenty minutes away. I've slept through half the scheduled day, on the second day in this school. Somehow I feel like I deserve some kind of prize for this, but I guess that that's not going to happen, so instead I decide to take pleasure in the fact that I was able to get four hours of seemingly nightmare-free sleep. Or at least nightmare-free enough for me not to remember said nightmares, that may or may not have actually existed to begin with.

Standing up, I let my gaze quickly return to Suzu once before it turns toward the wall that seems to have been the major part of the second literature club; a wall covered in bookcases, all packed to the brim with books, most of them with radically different characteristics; different heights, widths, colors, fonts, all that jazz. And they don't appear to have any kind of organization, the books seemingly having been placed wherever there was space; some of them are upside-down, some placed have them lying sideways, some lying on top of others. Complete chaos, all within the realm of a few bookshelves in the classroom of a high school for 'youngsters with special needs'. I like it.

A few steps toward the line of bookshelves and I am close enough to see the names on the backs of the books. Most of them are names I haven't heard before, but there are several authors that I've heard of or maybe even read something by, with the rare case of a book I actually have read... Damn, I guess I became quite the maniac while in the hospital. I sigh.

"What do you say about leaving for the cafeteria? Lunch is starting soon," I say while turning towards Suzu. It's not that I'm hungry, but basic logic suggests that even if I barely have any appetite I should try to eat something when given the chance, especially if I don't get enough calories from any single meal. Having woken up barely a third of an hour before the scheduled time for a meal is something I might as well take as some kind of sign.

Seemingly finishing the paragraph she's reading, Suzu then closes the book in her hands, turning her face towards me before nodding. Pushing herself off the windowsill, she walks over to the bookcases and places the book in her hands on a shelf, appearing to be one at random. As if she doesn't care whether she finds it the next time she's here or not. I don't comment on it, and instead opt to walk out of the room, soon followed by the holder of the key who closes the door behind her, turning around and locking it immediately after.

"I thought I'd find you here!" a voice half-shouts as running steps quickly come closer towards us. Turning my face towards the source of the voice, I find it to be none other than a certain Miura Miki that is running over to us. Her usual grin covering her face, she seems to have decided that it would be a good idea to search for us here.

Wait...

"I'd assume class has yet to end for the time being," I say with a voice carrying a tone of suspicion. Being one of the quicker members of the track team, it probably wouldn't be insanely difficult for her to slip out, but it's still a fact that she's on the front row. Not impossible, but difficult. As a response, her grin grows wider.

"Couldn't just leave the new guy alone with someone who'd influence him to skip class on the second day, now could I?" she responds, and I guess that what she says would in theory be correct. I've probably started some kind of storm by missing out on half the day, haven't I? "Besides," Miki continues, "I'd never miss out on a chance to piss the student council off."

My response is a simple sly look, to which Miki answers with a wink, and our voiceless conversation is ended with me sighing while shaking my head in faked disappoint. The track star then starts off towards the cafeteria, the steps so sudden that it takes me a second before I realize that I should probably follow her, as Suzu already seems to be doing so. And so, our entourage makes its way towards the school cafeteria.


	7. Waved

"Hicchan~!"

The sudden shout brings me back to my senses, and I notice that even when Misha's trying her best at keeping a serious tone it sounds too happy to be taken as anything else than cute. Raising my head from my bag, I see that the inseparable duo is now standing in front of my desks, Misha with her regular bubbly expression and Shizune with a stern, scolding expression. I'm quite certain that I know what this conversation will be about...

"Skipping half of the day on his second day at a new school is a pretty big mark for a new student, Hicchan~," Misha says, at least a little less bubbly now than when she was shouting at me. "However," she continues, Shizune's expression turning into a sly one that can be described as nothing else than cat-like, "as class representative and president of the student council, I, Hakamichi Shizune, will let you pass by this one time."

"I assume there's a catch," I immediately answer, realizing that I've found myself stuck in a trap that I was not planning on getting stuck in.

Wait...

President of the student council?

I guess I'm not really surprised, and judging from what I've seen of the two; Miki and Shizune would have an incredibly difficult time getting along. If anything, I'd think that they could almost be considered natural enemies. Mortal enemies, even.

"Yes, there's one condition. To compensate for the lack of care for school, you will have to instead spend time after classes to in any way help out. Currently, that would mean that you are to do anything you possibly could to make the festival on Sunday a success."

So that was their plan, to ensure that I am to work away half of my remaining lifespan in this week to turn this school festival into a successful one. Oh well, it's not like I have any reason not to work on the festival; I do happen to be a student of Yamaku High, after all.

"I'm quite certain that you'd make me do the same even if I hadn't missed class," I say, making sure that I do in no way mention that I from my own perspective was skipping class, as that could be used as more blackmail-material. Shizune's sly smile turns to a more friendly one at this, although I can't say that it's any less sly than the original one.

"See it as a bonus," Misha translates her partner's words for me, and I assume this means that I will owe them in some way from now on. Owing the student council president a favor does not sound like a favorable position, but I guess I'll just have to live with it this one time. Best case scenario, it raises my influence-points.

"Shouldn't I prioritize my own class' project first, though?" I ask as the thought enters my mind; I'm pretty sure that the combative Shizune wouldn't just leave that lying to do something else, so that should mean that there are some other certain circumstances where that comes in.

"The stalls of class 3-3 were all finished last week," the response comes. "All remaining work will be during the festival itself." Of course, with Shizune as the class representative, that shouldn't come as a surprise; with her, it wouldn't be surprising if the class actually was just a group of slaves controlled by her. Hakamichi Shizune, pharaoh of the empire of Yamaku High.

"And that would leave exactly what work left to be done by somebody without work to do for his class?" I ask.

"Just because a certain class has finished all of their their preparations, everything does not necessarily have to have been finished, Hicchan," Misha states, not translating for Shizune this time. Do they have some kind of telepathic link, so that neither of them actually has to sign? Or was the just slightly mocking tone Misha was using actually her own? Somehow, the latter theory frightens me more than the former.

"So exactly what am I supposed to do?" I ask, furrowing my brow and letting me head drop slightly to my side. For a moment I let my gaze drift around the classroom, and it seems that Miki is watching me; as she noticed me looking at her, a sad expression I presume to be as faked as snow in July appears on her face. My eyes then return to the duo beside my desk, who seem to be discussing what work they find suitable for the new guy to do.

"The simplest would be to check the status of the different budget reports, as they are to be finished latest on Friday," the student council-duo explains, Misha of course being the one voicing the explanation.

"So you don't trust me to do more than that?" I ask, actually quite relieved about the task I've been given, as I was prepared to get some far more craving mission. Misha translates, and Shizune's expression turns into a dark one, with a devilish smile on her lips as her rough hyperspeed signing makes an appearance. It seems to take her incredible focus to do so, but the pink-haired girl appears to be able to understand her companion's words.

"A new recruit must never be trusted with a truly important task," Misha translates, appearing exhausted after having just tried to see what Shizune was saying. I absolutely do not blame her; to be able to understand that at all you'd probably have to be fluent in sign language, and you'd probably have to be superhuman to do so without having any trouble, which would probably only leave the one that was signing it on the list of people that were capable of understanding it easily. Of course, Shizune's apparent look at the school as an army is slightly troubling, but I decide to ignore it for the time being.

Shizune quickly writes up a list of about six or so people, whom I presume to be the class representatives of the respective classes following their names. How does she keep track of these people, that she has seemingly no relation to besides having to boss over every now and then? Goes beyond me.

"It would be preferable if Satou was dealt with as quickly as possible," Misha translates as Shizune points to the name **Satou Lilly – Class 3-2**. "She has been the cause of a lot of stress for the student council, as she always pushes the time limit, finishing everything as late as possible." The duo sign a little to each other before turning to me and informing me that the location where the probability of finding her would be the highest is an unused classroom in the part of the school reserved for clubrooms.

"Well then, I guess I should do what I've been tasked to do," I say, standing up and stretching. "Shouldn't wait to do anything two pretty girls have entrusted me to do." Misha laughs, and Shizune's face, although stern, gets a small smile. Grabbing my bag, I walk towards the exit of the classroom, nodding to the classmates I pass and they doing the same to me. Apparently Miki and Suzu left while I was having my conversation with the duo, as I see no trace of either of them when passing their desks. Exiting the classroom and making my way into the hallway, I quickly head toward the part of the building I spent the earlier half of the day in.

…...

"Hello?" I say, knocking and pushing the door to the supposedly unused classroom open, before being stunned the sight; a beautiful girl (well, woman; her appearance would suggest that she's at least 20, but the fact that she's wearing a Yamaku uniform would say otherwise) with waist-long blonde hair, pale skin and what appears to be an incredibly feminine figure (she's sitting, so I can't be truly sure) on a chair in front of a table in the middle of the room. The fact that her eyes are closed, her finger is on a seemingly blank page on the book in front of her and the folded cane on the table suggests that she's blind.

"My, my, a guest, have we?" she asks, turning her ear towards my location, seemingly to maximize her ability to sense my presence, further pushing my theory that she's blind. An elegant atmosphere surrounds her, and even compared to the rest of Yamaku (which has an incredibly high average when it comes to looks) she's amazingly beautiful. It takes a second to gather my thoughts.

"Ah, sorry. Wasn't expecting a stunningly beautiful girl, that's all," I say to explain myself, and the blonde girl giggles while raising her left hand to her cheek. Opening her eyes, I can see that they are blue, although covered by a blank layer, which fully confirms the theory that she's blind.

"I'll have to say that I wasn't expecting a Casanova." A smile on her lips, an incredibly warm one almost pulling me in, and I find it difficult to move my body. A literally stunning beauty.

"Then I guess we both were handed with surprises. I can say that I was given a pleasant one, although I'm not as sure about you. Nakai Hisao, by the way," I state, finally regaining control of my body and clenching my fist to make sure that I'm not going to spontaneously get frozen again.

"Satou Lilly. Please, just call me Lilly," she responds, her porcelain appearance remaining the same, almost blank expression. As if she had practiced it, to always remain at her most beautiful. Considering what girls sometimes are practiced to constantly live as, it wouldn't be entirely surprising. Just a year at an all-girl academy and you'd probably have it all drilled into you.

"Then I guess I found my target," I say, looking down at the paper with the names of the different class representatives.

"Oh?" Lilly gets a questioning expression, and it's obvious that I've piqued her interest; who wouldn't find something worded like that interesting?

"A certain student council president put me on search for you. Sad that we had to meet under such circumstances, but it can't be helped." The blonde sighs, letting herself drop down slightly, probably to relax, which I sort of see why you would if you were attacked by Hakamichi Shizune. I notice that the finger that was used to read her book earlier is now tapping on said book, showing that she's either bored or annoyed. I'd guess on the latter, considering we haven't even been talking for a minute yet.

"Well then," she says after a few seconds of silence. "Since you've been sent here already, why not stay for a cup of tea?"

"I see no reason to decline a chance to spend time with a stunningly beautiful girl," I respond and Lilly shakes her head with a slight giggle, seeming to find my compliments funny.

"You really know how to talk to a girl, Nakai," she comments as she gets up and guides herself to the 'kitchen' of the classroom. A small area, separated from the rest of the room by a small wall running halfway from one of the room's walls to another.

"If I am to call you by given name you are to do the same to myself," I state. I'd feel strange calling her Lilly if she was calling me Nakai.

"Well then, Hisao it is. Now tell me, Hisao, why would it be that you are running errands for the student council? I have heard nothing of a new member, so I would assume that this has something to do with favors."

"It's not favored upon for a new student to mysteriously disappear for half of his second day after just transferring to a new school," I respond as I walk over and take a seat at the same table that Lilly was sitting at just a minute ago. "A favor for a favor, I guess."

"My, my, that would put you in class 3-3, am I correct?" she asks while getting the earlier mentioned tea ready in the 'kitchen'.

"Inside information, have we?" I respond as I hear the tea boiling. That went a lot quicker than I had expected it to. I guess this is some kind of magic of hers.

"It's not all too common for a third-year to suddenly drop in after the year has started," Lilly responds, exiting the kitchen with a cup in each hand, walking over to the table, putting the cups onto it and then sitting down. "I wouldn't be surprised if most of the school knew of it by this point." Her smile seems slightly less 'faked' (I wouldn't call it fake, but rather 'placed') now, for whatever reason. "Besides, I also happen to have a rather close friend in your class."

"Rumors already on my second day? I'm surprising even myself here," I say, choosing not to ask about the friend she's talking about. I don't even know the names of most my classmates yet, so it wouldn't make much of a difference.

"Our Casanova wasn't expecting such a welcome?" Lilly takes a sip of the tea, and I do the same. Incredibly well-made, absolutely above average, and that's coming from someone who prefers coffee.

"Well, in afterthought I can see why such a thing would happen, but I wasn't expecting it." I sigh. "I'm not making it better for myself either, skipping class with girls and all." This seems to pique my companion's interest.

"Might there be any budding romances in class 3-3?" she asks, a childish expression now covering her face, as if wanting to know everything she has possible access to.

"I'd rather call it 'helping the new guy out'." Lilly seems satisfied with my answer as she does not follow up with any other statements or questions, so I decide that I might as well take the time to get to business. "Well, to get to why I came here in the first place; I'm supposed to ask about the satus of the budget report for the festival." Lilly heaves a deep sigh and lets her face down.

"Does she actually believe that sending someone will finish the report earlier?" she mumbles to herself, before turning straight to me. "Tell her that since the deadline is not until Friday, our class has decided to make use of the available time."

"I will do as you have commanded, madame," I say, bowing for effect despite knowing that it will make no difference since she won't be able to see it. "With that aside, I'd assume that if the budget report isn't finished, neither is the major work. That leaves me to ask why you're here, when you could be helping the rest of the class." Lilly blushes slightly after I say this, and raises her right hand to her cheek.

"They told me to take a break, that I was overworking myself," she explains. Overworking in a situation in which they actually need to be working at their limit? That... sounds incredible. How does one work hard enough during this kind of work to be forced by your own class not to continue with it? We remain silent after this, a sip from our cups breaking the silence every now and then.

"'Lilly'. Quite a western name," I finally say to restart the conversation, since the silence, while not awkward, started feeling empty. The beautiful girl sitting in front of me takes another sip of her tea before putting her hands together and placing them on top of the book in front of her.

"My mother's from Scotland, and despite that I was to grow up here in Japan she wanted at least one of her children to have a name from her own part of the world," Lilly explains, the constant smile remaining as it has until now.

"The way you worded that sentence would imply that you have siblings," I respond, looking into my almost empty teacup, before letting my gaze drift onto the window and the outside world. Due to being on the third floor of a building on top of a hill, I can't see the ground, but just near the window there stands a few trees, and in the distance I can see what appears to be a mountain.

"I do, in fact. A sister," my companion answers and I let my gaze drift over to her instead. Waist-long, blonde hair, pinned with a black ribbon (I wonder how long it would be if she let it down), pale skin, almost as porcelain. What catches my attention the most, though, is her fingers; long and slender, as pale as the rest of her body, but something about them just has me looking at them. It might just be the small movements they have due to her lack of sight, but if it is, then it's not consciously that I find that interesting.

"And this sister has a Japanese name," I comment, finishing her statement, although I did intend it more as a question than a fact.

"Akira," Lilly explains as I continue to watch her fingers with their small and almost invisible movements. I wonder exactly how much she's able to pick up just through those small movements.

"'Satou Akira'. Far more eastern than Lilly." Looking up at Lilly's face, I realize that her current smile is the warm, natural one I was able to witness when she mentioned her friend in my class earlier. It must be a smile specifically for the people she cares about, I presume.

"So how about yourself, Hisao?" she asks, taking the last sip from her teacup. "Any siblings in the Nakai-family?"

"I'm sorry to say that I'm an only child," I answer. "When I see how close siblings are I get extremely jealous. That smile of yours, for example." Lilly gives a questioning expression by furrowing her brow slightly.

"Smile?"

"When you're talking about people you care about your smile turns a lot warmer than the practiced smile you're otherwise carrying," I say, and it seems that my analyzes have been spot on, as the blonde girl blushes and raises her hand to her cheek again.

"My, my, analyzing, are we?" she says, still blushing.

"Sorry, force of habit," I respond, a childish tone to my voice, as if not sorry for doing it but for getting caught. I'd say that's closer to the truth than to say that I'm sorry for doing it.

"Well, Hisao, with you knowing what I hold dear it, I'd like to know something like that of your own. It's unfair to only listen and not say anything," Lilly says, which gets me to think. What do I actually have to hold dear? I lost most of my life with the heart attack, so I guess there aren't really any people I can say that about; since my parents always work I've never been able to get close to them, and I've never had much time to meet any other relatives...

"Memories," I say after some time of thinking, to which my companion responds by tilting her head to the side, furrowing her brow slightly to give a questioning appearance. "Memories are what's precious to me, as they're the one link between the person I currently am and the one I once was. This moment, the one we're sharing right now, in not too long that will too be nothing but a memory, right? And since I don't have anyone close to me, the memories I have are what I can treasure."

Lilly seems to want to say something about this, probably along the lines of 'isn't that sad/lonely?', but refrains from doing so. My words actually seem to have taken the smile off her face, which makes me feel a bit bad about my own actions, but there's nothing I can do about the truth.

"I know how it sounds, some lonely guy who only thinks about the past, but everyone has to be a little melancholic from time to time." I try to take another sip from my teacup, but find it empty. Apparently I finished it a lot quicker than I had expected, but I guess that's not incredibly strange considering the quality. And the company of the girl who made said tea probably had some kind of influence on the speed, too.

"While it is correct that everyone goes through despondent periods every now and then, I do believe that the best way to get through them are through contact with others. I'll have to say that you don't seem to be having trouble on that front, though, and maybe this isn't a debate for me to take, but for yourself." Although Lilly seems quite concerned about my situation, probably due to some kind of motherly instinct (or maybe she's just an inhumanly good person?) the smile she was carrying earlier now returns. "Another cup?"

"I'd never be able to decline such an offer," I respond, placing the cup against the tip of her finger so she won't have to search for it herself, as that would probably be a minor pain for someone who can't see. She nods, as if a minor bow, to thank for my cooperation, before standing up and heading back into the 'kitchen'. I assume that the tea left from the earlier boiling was just standing around with the heat on, as I can almost immediately hear the sound of something being poured, and soon Lilly returns into the main room, sitting down as she places a cup in front of me and the other in front of herself. "Thank you."

"My, my, no need to act reserved. You are a guest, after all, even if sent by the president of the student council," she responds, again raising her hand to her cheek. Once again am I caught by her lady-like nature, that I'm sure must have been practiced to come as natural as it does to her; had she not done so, I see no reason to why she'd act that way. I'm not complaining, but rather feel as if that must be quite something to constantly be thinking about, and I wonder how much of it has actually become her natural way of acting. Maybe it all has.

"So, Lilly, what is that book you were reading before I came and interrupted?" I ask after some time, having nothing else to talk about for the time being, as I can't really think of any other shared interest we might have. While I can't say that I've ever found an interest in braille at any earlier point in my life (I could say the same about books just four months ago), it does seem fairly interesting to read with your sense of touch.

"Ivanhoe," she says, and I recognize the name. Although I do try to place the title in my mind, I fail miserably, which Lilly seems to notice from my silence. "A historic novel set in 12th-century England," she explains, and I finally remember it; not because I've ever thought of reading it, but because I heard about it during English class once.

"Sir Walter Scott?" I ask, feeling like I butchered the name incredibly, which Lilly's giggle confirms, but I decide that being a joker works every now and then. The girl in front of me, having stopped giggling, nods.

"So you know of it," the blonde says before taking a sip from her cup, I letting my gaze back to the window to look at the scenery of the area around Yamaku High. 'To help youngsters with special needs.'

"I'd think that anyone who pays at least some attention during English class would at least know of it," I respond, the sky outside seeming to start change in color. "Wasn't expecting to ever meet anyone reading it." Yup, it's definitely starting to head towards sunset, and I check my cellphone for the time; five past five. "It seems time has moved quicker than I thought it had."

My eyes shift back over to Lilly, who again has tilted her head to the side, furrowing her brow to give a questioning look.

"It's just past five already," I explain, putting the cellphone back into my pocket and letting my gaze stay on the stunningly beautiful girl sitting right across the table. The afternoon has turned out a lot better than I had believed it would when I realized I owed Shizune and Misha a favor.

"Well then, how about we finish our tea before wrapping this little meeting of ours up?" she says, and it seems like the best thing to do. "I should be heading to the library before they close."

"While I'd love to join you, I still have work to do," I explain, taking a large sip of the tea in the cup in front of me. It's almost empty as it leaves my lips, meaning that it won't be long at all until our clubroom tea party is finished. I sigh, pour the last tea into my mouth and stand up, as if to say that I'm finished.

"I'll take care of everything. You can go and do whatever it is the student council has demanded of you," Lilly says with a smile that seems to at least be a little warmer than the one I saw as I entered the room, although I can't be sure whether it's my eyes playing tricks on me or not.

"Well then, I'll do so," I say, placing the cup still in my hand on the table a bit to the side of the girl's. "It was nice meeting you, Lilly, and it would be lovely for it to happen again."

"It would be my pleasure, Hisao," she says, still with a smile, as I walk over to the door, glance back at her and bow, mostly for my own effect, before exiting the room, leaving the door open just a crack. With raised spirits from the time spent with Satou Lilly I continue the work of checking on the status of reports of different classes, even being 'lucky' (if that's the right word) enough to find a few of them finished and ready to be handed to the student council.

…...

With my favor to the student council almost repaid, save for leaving the collected papers to them, I start heading back to the dormitory buildings, hoping to take a shower before doing something that could be anything between going to sleep and taking a walk through town... Okay, that doesn't seem like there's much variety, but I can't say that there is much variety when you've just transferred to a school. Especially not one located like Yamaku, where you have to go three quarters of an hours by bus just to get to the closest major city. I sigh.

"Yo, Hisao!" A voice drags me out of thought. A voice I recognize, even. Turning towards the source of the voice, a certain Miura Miki stands there, looking at me with the grin she seems to be always carrying on her lips. I start walking towards her, and she runs the little distance between us. "Was thinking of going into town. Wanna join?"

"Sure, why not," I say, stretching my arms. Anything I'd need was already in my bag, so heading back to the dorms would be unnecessary. Before I'm able to say any more, Miki's already on her way towards the gate, but she turns back to me before the distance has become too great.

"Are you coming or what?"


	8. The Other Side of the Timepiece

**Well guys, it's been a while. Three months and five days, to be exact. Back there in November and December there were quite a number of happenings that limited me from getting creative, and once those were dealt with... I guess I was sort of afraid of looking back at something the past me had made, since I always consider my past self an idiot (No less than what the current me is, mind you), so I never dealt with it. But! I did get myself to read through the story I had written mainly during a series of insomnia-attacks, and I realized that I actually liked it myself, and that I wanted to see it continued. So I shall at least try to continue this one, if even just a bit longer.  
So, here it is. The long-awaited Chapter 8: The Other Side of the Timepiece. (I'm still too lazy to look through the chapter before posting it, so yeah, faulty grammar galore)**

Walking down the hill on which Yamaku High stands next to Miki, I sigh and stretch my arms as I look up at the darkening sky. In the east, it's almost black already, a star or two visible if you check closely, and in west a combination of orange and pink can be seen where the sun edges over the horizon. It's past six, and besides my companion I don't have any real reason to go into town, but why not take the chance to see it once again? Of course, I shan't say that the company is not enjoyable, either.

"What are you so happy about?" Miki asks, her usual grin showing off her teeth covering her lips, with a tone as far from serious I could ever imagine without being completely ridiculous. Apparently my lighter mood has shown itself on my face, although I'm not entirely sure why I feel as good as I do... Okay, I guess finally being out of a hospital for the first time in four months, and now getting to actually be outside for real without being supervised the entire time would make practically anyone feel great. Especially now that I don't have to bother with feeling melancholic about being in a small town, as that was done yesterday.

"Nothing but your lovely appearance, madame," I say, bowing deeply towards Miki in what I believe to be English fashion, and the target laughs at my act. Standing back up, I ruffle my hair to have something to do with my left hand as I place my right one in my pocket.

"I didn't know you were such a womanizer, Hisao," Miki responds with an enjoyed tone, her grin instead of a natural appearance now one of enjoyment. The spring wind plays with her long hair, which flutters along with every slight breeze that the evening has to offer for us as we head into town.

"Neither did I, before I was sent to a school filled to the brim with beautiful girls," I answer, starting to walk down the hill again after having stopped when I bowed. My companion does the same, and we walk down the hill side by side.

"I'm not sure whether I should take that as a compliment or if you're telling me that I'm average here." Miki scoffs at her own comment and I take a glance at her; her grin has turned slightly smaller as she's not having active eye contact with anyone, but it's still there. She turns to me and our eyes lock onto each others, and her grin turns down into a smile.

"You may take it as you wish, but I'd say you should take it as a compliment," I say as my eyes move back onto the horizon where the sun continues to glide down the sky. "That's at least what I'd say as an outsider," I follow up.

"Holding secrets, are we?" Miki laughs.

"I'm simply stating my thoughts." A small smile reaches my lips without me forcing it to do so, but without reason to hide it I let it stay there. It's comfortable; walking through this spring evening, a light breeze twirling around like fairies playing in the air.

Our saunter continues, silent for now, as there is nothing to be said for the time being; simply appreciating the current situation is far more than enough. The sound of locusts fills the air, the only sound around as we continue down the hill on which Yamaku High lies.

"So exactly what were you planning for this little trip to town of yours?" I ask Miki, breaking the few-minute-long silence that had otherwise been disrupted only by our steps and the calls of bugs. A whispering breeze blows my hair, which happens to be as messy as ever; there's a reason I have come to mention to people that I prefer not to be called Ahoge-kun.

"Well, I was planning to get groceries, but that doesn't sound like much of an adventure, so let's do something more than that," she answers, a more humorous grin now covering her lips, and I scoff slightly at her facial expressions solely consisting of different grins.

"As you have decided," I answer, bowing without stopping as we finally reach the bottom of the hill and make our way into the actual town. It's still a bit away from what should be referred to as the shopping district, so we continue walking without slowing down.

The buildings surrounding us turn more and more modern as we walk on through the town, heading toward who knows what. I can feel that my breathing is a little more forceful than it 'should' be, but that's to be expected after four months... Maybe I should stop thinking as if I stopped in a hole in reality for four months, even if that's what it feels like. Eh, it's not like a little melancholy ever killed anyone... Although the question is when you cross the line from 'a little' to 'a lot'.

"Ah," my voice slips as my eyes reach the sign signaling the name of a cafe that seems to have opened up its terrace for customers to use just the other week; Nettaiurin. Rainforest. There's no reason for it to stick out this much to me, but for some reason I have an incredibly good feeling about this place. I'm not going to say that I'm a psychic, but I feel like following this random hunch my mind has given me as far as possible.

"Oh, our little boy found a place he likes, did he?" Miki asks jokingly as she, too, looks at the sign and then the building hosting the cafe. "I've never tried this place before..." She stands still and thinks for a bit, the wind playing with her hair, before turning to me with the usual grin. "Let's have a break, shall we?" A small laugh as she walks up to the terrace and takes a seat at a table. I follow her up onto the terrace.

"No idea why, but I have a good hunch. Maybe just my primal instincts speaking, though," I say, looking at the horizon, but turn to my companion a second later. "So, what do you want?"

"Some kind of lemon tea and anything with chocolate in it," the girl responds with a smile on her lips. "Just be sure to make it something expensive." She turns around and walks up to the terrace, taking seat at a table in the furthermost corner of it, as I enter the cafe and take a place in the back of the line, which only consists of the couple currently ordering.

Taking great care to check through everything you could possibly order here, my eyes go over pies, cakes, sandwiches and other edibles, and my stomach reacts by telling me that I am hungry, which isn't all that strange when considering that I haven't really eaten a lot for quite some time. The food from the cafeteria is barely any better than what they served at the hospital, so I guess I haven't actually gotten enough nutrition since I woke up from the coma directly following my heart attack. I barely even notice as the couple in front of me walks away with their tray, and it completely grabs me by surprise when I'm asked what I'm ordering. "What will it be?"

"A pot of lemon tea, any tea goes as long as it's lemon, two cups, a slice of chocolate cake and a slice of the mixed berry pie, thanks," I say, letting a small smile reach my lips as I turn my face to the man standing behind the counter. The bags below his eyes are quite large, almost able to compete with mine, but he still has a friendly yet distant aura around him. His hair, a few tones darker than mine, is a bit longer than mine, and he seems to have skipped shaving the last few days, and the black shirt he's wearing seems to have been put on as hastily as the apron that seems to be on backwards. He almost seems like a younger Mutou.

"Sure thing," he responds with a far more inviting smile than my own as he starts preparing my order; two plates, one with chocolate cake and one with mixed berry pie and two cups, soon followed by a pot I hope and believe to contain some form of lemon-tasting tea. I pay before grabbing the tray, which feels heavier than I expected, resulting in self-pity at my condition, and heading out to the girl waiting for me on the terrace.

The setting sun's rays shimmer over Miura Miki's hair and face as she looks over the railing, taking in the surroundings, the people passing by and the buildings of the area. A tint of sweat on her forehead, explainable by the day's heat, makes her dark skin shine just a little in the daylight. Although it's true that the average looks of the females of Yamaku are well-above the standards, I'd say that the people I've encountered so far each have had their own certain form of beauty. Suzu with her mysteriousness, Shizune with her dominant yet friendly demeanor, Misha with her bubbly and energetic behavior, Lilly with her lady-like charm, and Miki...

"You just gonna stand there and enjoy the show or are you gonna allow us to start our feast?" Miki asks, a grin coming onto her face as she turns to me, and I sigh as I take the final steps to the table, taking the seat facing the girl trying her best to tease me, and probably succeeding to some degree. Positioning the plate with chocolate cake and a cup in front of her, doing the same for my own things, I pour us some tea. "But man, transferring in the middle of the first trimester of your third year AND missing half of your second day. You're gonna become a legend for delinquents to come, Hisao."

"While I don't mind having a status of legendary, it would be preferable for it to be in another area than delinquency," I respond as I move a piece of the pie to my mouth. It turns out to be a bit dryer than I had expected, but it blends in with the taste of the berries and works out quite well. Eight and a half points to the one who baked it.

"We could add the part where you romance each and every girl in the Yamaku, solely because the school has a higher average of looks than other places." A giggle follows the girl's statement.

"Please refrain from treating my life like a dating-sim. I'd at least want it to be something more than "get enough points with all girls to get harem"... An action anime, maybe? 'Nakai Hisao, Protector of Universes, Savior of Delicious Cakes and Pies'."

"Whaaaat? You don't want a harem? I'm straight, and I'd take a harem of Yamaku-chicks any day of the week." Miki's grinning face is strangely soothing, every now and then interrupted by a sip from her cup or a bite of her chocolate cake.

"Then we'll split it; I do the romancing, you take care of the rest. Deal?" A smile spreads across my face as I say this, and I take a sip of my tea.

"So I'm not good enough for your harem?" she asks, raising her eyebrow, grin still on her face.

"That's far from the case, but I couldn't just go and romance you now that you've seen through my plan, could I?"

"Oh really?" Miki asks, a devilish smile coming to her face, probably trying to make it seem as a challenge. Challenge accepted.

"Really," I answer as I stretch across the table with and take a piece of her chocolate cake with the fork in my right hand, which then goes directly to my mouth. Moist, with a taste of dark chocolate and tones of sweetness. Eight points.

"And here I thought I'd finally gotten a boyfriend..." Miki sighs a fake sigh before a devious smile returns to her face. "What, did Suzu steal you away from me or something? Or maybe Miss Student Council President?"

"Hardly. Romance and I don't go hand-in-hand, as you know," I respond absent-mindlessly as I take a sip from my tea, not realizing until afterward that my companion probably won't feel fully comfortable with the subject, and, looking up, I see that it is as I though; Miki seems to have been stunned from my comment. I sigh and put my cup down. "Look, as I told you, I'm okay with talking about my heart. Or, maybe I'm not. I'm probably really awkward about it. But I want to be okay with talking about it, to deal with it. Otherwise it would be like hiding a part of myself, would it not?" I take a sip from the tea I just put down, drinking what little was left in the cup.

"I... I guess. It's just that... Well, the way you talk about it, you say it in a way that makes me feel bad about it. Black humor isn't really for me, I guess." She sighs and takes the cup to her mouth, but seems to realize that it is empty, so as I've already grabbed the pot in order to pour for myself I put her before myself in the queue and pours tea into the cup. A smile returns to her face at my motion. "So, if you're supposed to be open about it without, I guess it would be better if you actually tried talking about it in an actual conversation."

"Good suggestion," I comment as I finish pouring into my own cup, too. Putting the pot down onto the tray, I take my hand to my chin and grab it between my thumb and forefinger, to signify a quick thorough thought of what to actually say, before letting both my arms down onto the table. "Chronic dysrhythmia. Medical mumbo jumbo meaning that my heart almost completely lacks rhythm. When combined with emotional stress it resulted in a heart attack that damaged several arteries and put me into a coma for almost a week, after which I had to spend four months in a hospital before my condition was considered stable enough for me to return to the outside world."

"'Chronic dysrhythmia'. Sounds like the name of some shitty garage band", Miki comments, her usual lively demeanor having returned to her face in the form of the oh so common teeth-showing grin that I've seen uncountable times since yesterday.

"They wouldn't be able to hold a beat for their lives." A slight laughter at my comment before she takes a sip from her cup and a bite from her cake.

"But four months... Damn, man. The longest I've been in a hospital was ten days, and THAT felt like an eternity. So you spent your days reading, or what?" The eyes of my companion show... Well, it's quite unlike the pity I've witnessed from so many, which I've learned to hate. Compassion, I guess? Understanding someones pain, feeling it with them, whereas pity would be 'feeling sorrow for due to someone else feeling pain or sorrow, not because of understanding but because you witness it'.

"Reading, and the ever-mentioned studying of others. Some lighter walks around the area during the last month, but that's kind of difficult after three months stuck in a bed, so they didn't last long." Taking a look into my cup, I realize that I actually feel a bit relieved while talking about my heart condition openly like this. Sure, it's a bit forced, but I couldn't have expected it not to be. I guess I have the girl on the other side of the table to thank for letting me take this chance.

"And since it would serve to worsen your pulse, you're not allowed to perform any extreme exercise, like sprinting and such." Miki's look has now grown from what I believe to be compassion to a more wondering one, as if she actually holds more interest in my character than helping me getting as open about my condition as I wish to be.

"Exactly. No street fighting allowed," I say, taking a sip from my tea and a bite from my pie.

"Aww, and here I was hoping to make you the new champion of Yamaku Underground," my companion comments with a slight laughter.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it is as it is. Eso sí que es." Moving the cup to my mouth and trying to take a sip, I realize that it is already empty, and that I'm fine with the amount of tea I've already ingested today, so I slowly let it reach the table.

"Well, let's be off. We can't stay here the rest of the night," Miki states as she stands up and stretches her arms, as she seems to be fond of doing.

"I'm not finished yet," I respond as I point to the last piece of pie on my plate, which while quite small, feels too large to just leave. The greed within me won't accept something like that. Or gluttony, for that matter.

"Yes you are," she says as she reaches over and takes the piece onto her fork which moves back to her mouth at a speed that's almost invisible to my eyes.

"Well, I guess I'm done, then." I'm surprised at the sudden event, but compose myself quickly with a smile towards the girl who's grinning at me with a grin larger than her usual one, her eyes closed for a second to add to the effect. Miki stands up, to which I follow suit, and we start making our way off the terrace and towards the store that seems to be the one closest to the school.


	9. Collected Stories Regarding Life & Death

**Just wanted to say that I went back and revised all the old chapters once, so if you feel like it I do believe it would be worth it to reread them if you feel you enjoy this story enough to do so. Mostly some minor changes here and there, but there were some major rewritings of some parts.**

**Also, return of cynical Hisao~ (Cynical Hisao is hilarious to write, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise)**

**PS: I hate the limited length of chapter names.**

Burning.

Fire.

Molten flesh surrounding me, far too bright for me to register anything but the horrid smiles of the stunningly grotesque creatures, lacking lips too instead showcase their rotting teeth. No facial features besides that dark, eternally rotting smile, upon which no one will ever lay their eyes, since I do, in fact, lack mentioned feature, as I am but another of these creatures. Or maybe I do have eyes, but they see everything. It's difficult to know.

A melody lacking rhythm, only for me to hear. A melody that increases in speed as these other creatures come closer to me, their smiles imprinting my mind with the picture of the rotting kiss they all wish to give me, the punishment for a crime I have yet to commit. The eternal dusk in the skies does not give enough light for human eyes to see these creatures, and yet I know them as if it were bright as day. Dried blood, pulverized, makes up the ground on which I stand, and I can feel it beneath my feet that more resemble claws than feet, just as the 'fingers' on the other creatures' hands; four claws, each at least a foot long, all looking like overused blades meant to slowly rip my body apart with.

They're coming closer.

Closer.

Closer...

Closer...

...Closer...

…

"Gaah!" I wake up with a scream leaving my throat, a beat completely lacking rhythm taking place throughout my entire body at a speed that, had I not currently been in panic, would leave me afraid of a heart attack. Relax, Hisao, it was just a nightmare. Those creatures are not real, and you can take it easy. There's no reason to panic.

Hyperventilation is a surefire way to increase your pulse, and we don't want that, now do we?

Inhale.

Exhale.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

See, that wasn't too bad, now was it?

As I try to stabilize my condition, I sit up and take a glance over at my alarm clock, which tells me that it's currently 3:45AM, meaning that I've probably been asleep for about four hours. My eyes have already gotten used to the darkness, and as I look down upon my body I take great notice of the scar on my chest; the scar that tells me that I'm different from others.

That's right, I'm in my dormitory room at Yamaku High, 'for youngsters with special needs', and today is Wednesday and will be my third day at this school. There's nothing strange about that. My name is Nakai Hisao, I am eighteen years old, and I have a heart problem known medically as chronic dysrhythmia which resulted in a heart attack four months ago, four months which were spent primarily in a hospital bed, and just a few days ago I was told of my transfer to Yamaku, a school for 'youngsters with special needs'. Say it.

"My name is Nakai Hisao, I am eighteen years old, and I have a heart problem. This year I've had a heart attack, been in a coma for six days and had several surgeries performed on my heart. Currently I take 17 different medications, most of them twice a day, to help my heart get some kind of rhythm." Although the words do no more than make myself acknowledge my situation, they do help me lose a bit of tension.

"The monsters in my nightmares are not real." They are fictive imaginations spawned by my mind, most likely due to the sudden change of environment of suddenly switching to a private school. The stress levels build up, combined with that of having been in a hospital for four months and taking 17 different medications, seven of which cause insomnia and three of which cause hallucinations, and it all results in a painful imaginative world which will never, in any way, become even remotely close to reality.

I heave a sigh as I let my left hand up to my chest to start tracing the outlines of the scar that sits there with my forefinger. The scar tissue feels so unreal when compared to the rest of my skin, as if someone had just glued it right onto my chest for no reason at all, but that's obviously not the case. Too many surgeries for me to remember. Inhale. Exhale.

Hisao, you are not going to die here and now, remember that. You promised you wouldn't die before you had something worth dying for, and that's exactly how it will happen. Just because you're mortal doesn't mean you're supposed to just go and have a heart attack any time it's possible. Just because you had to get transferred here, to Yamaku, doesn't mean that the life you had before you had your heart attack is fake, right?

Right.

Memories. In the end they are all we have, no matter what material possessions we happen to have access to; without memories, what will we do with the physical entities linked to them? And even if you're no longer where your memories are, that doesn't mean you can't make new ones, even if the new memories aren't the same as the old ones. They aren't meant to be. You are the sum of your actions. Act like it.

Another sigh is heaved, I having finished my inner monologue on not allowing myself to die in a pretty much foreign room at a school where I only have a few acquaintances, at most. Yes, Yamaku probably has a higher mortality rate than most schools, but I'm not going to let myself become just another number. 'Nakai Hisao, Cause of death: Heart attack.' That's not going to happen, got that? Good.

Stop it, Hisao. Thinking about death is nothing but a challenge, so stop it and get yourself together, because today is just another day in your life at Yamaku, in class 3-3. Another day spent with the students in your class, another day just like many other that have yet to pass, so don't even think about letting anything else happen.

My eyes are again turned to my alarm clock, which tells me that about five minutes have passed since I woke up, and since I'm already far too awake to return to sleep, I decide to take a morning shower and maybe take a walk after that or something.

…...

Ah, the refreshing morning air, the sound of nighttime locusts accompanying me through the schoolyard in the darkness of the soon-to-be morning. No hallucinations have shown themselves before me, or if they have, they haven't been major enough for me to actually notice them, which is enough for me. As I remember thinking the first time I walked through this area just two days ago; it is truly beautiful, and something just makes me feel slightly bad about feeling bad about myself at a place like Yamaku. We're all in the same boat here, or something like that.

Okay, we're not exactly in same boat. Actually, that's quite far from the case; no one could know how someone else experiences their condition, even if they have the exact same one; people are far too different for that. But at least people are able to see each others boats here, instead of just people trying to imagine what the boat would look like through the blueprint.

Aaand that's enough of the boat-analogies for now, I decide as I walk among the cherry trees, even fewer of which are in bloom than there were just two days ago. The pink flowers lying on the ground give off a desolate yet charming atmosphere, as if this were the beauty of the end of the world. Armageddon, the death of all that's living, and the only life remaining these few cherry trees, and soon they will have fallen just like all around them, and the night shan't end, ever.

But that will of course not happen, because the trees are still alive, and so am I, and so is each and every other student at this school, even if they're asleep, and in just a few hours the sun shall rise and give birth to a new day. A day just as beautiful as any other, a day during which many lives shall be birthed and many shall be lost, a day during which love shall be found and love shall be lost. A day that will probably be the most important day of at least one person's life. Just like any other.

Ah, such a beautiful thing; a day like this, that might completely lack meaning to most, will probably be the day someone meets the one they shall spend the rest of their lives with, and it will probably also be the day that someone's lifelong partner disappears from this planet. And at the very same time students just like myself will be sitting in their classrooms, looking out the window and wishing for a more 'meaningful' life. Maybe they'll be given the chance to have such a life, or maybe they won't, and if they do maybe they'll be able to handle the stress, or maybe they won't. On a planet with seven billion lives, any one day will be important to someone, and any one day won't mean anything to someone. That's life.

Of course, every now and then there will come someone who just decides not to follow this schedule and decides that every meaningless day shall have a major meaning in their thoughts. They think through every single detail as if it were the moment they met the love of their lives, and it'll destroy them.

Melancholy and the meaning of life, I guess. They go hand in hand, just like the lovers that meet every day, and the lovers who get separated every day. Find the days that are meaningful to you, but don't let them be too often, for then you shall be destroyed by your own importance. Or something like that, I'm not even fully sure where I was going with this line of thought to begin with.

Returning to my senses, it seems that I am standing right in front in one of the remaining cherry trees in bloom. Oh, sweet sakura, listen to my words and make the world mine, and you shall be granted my eternal love. Actually, scratch that, I'm pretty sure I'd never be able to control a country, no less the world, so yeah, sorry about that.

Another step towards the tree, which scares away a bird that must have been sitting in it, and I place my hand on the tree and start feeling the rough texture of its bark. There's no deeper meaning behind this action; it just happened to seem like a good idea to go through with it instead of just pushing the thought out of my mind. What people have walked below this cherry tree, where are they now, what has this tree witnessed during its days?

Actually, what people have gone to this school, and where are they now? The doctor assigned to me at the hospital did mention that he had a colleague that had gone here, but besides that I haven't heard about anyone from this school. What were their lives like here, where are they now, and what took them there? I've never considered such questions before, but even a 20 year old building would have quite an amount of history within its walls, even if that history was just human communication. I live in a world with seven billion people, so at least one interesting person must have at some point have stood at the same spot I've stood now, even if just for a moment, and touched this very same tree, even if just for a moment.

Ah well, it won't do any good to just stand around and philosophize about the past below this cherry tree, so I might as well walk somewhere else until the cafeteria opens; it's not like I'd be able to do anything productive even if I returned to my room, at most ending up browsing the internet through some open network on the laptop I ended up convincing my parents to buy me, to be able to "keep in touch easier". Goodbye, sakura, may we meet again.

…...

"Hicchan, you need to focus~!"

Misha's voice brings me back to reality, my eyes having been aimed at the very tree that I had the palm of my hand placed onto this morning. Although just visible at the edge of the window I can see from the angle I'm sitting at, it's still there in my vision... Well, was, until a certain pink-haired student council member made me lose focus on whatever useless line of though I was having and made me drag my face back to her and her blue-haired companion, both of whom happen to be working on the same group assignment that I'm supposed to help them with.

"While I, personally, feel pained by the effort to make me concentrate on schoolwork, I'll have to say that you're doing a good job as a member of the student council," I say after a few seconds of thought to come up with a good comeback. Instead of the cynical statement or smartass comment I would've probably made had I not put those seconds into thought, I decided to say something that's far from as mean. You should be proud of yourself, Hicchan.

"The student council exists to help students have it easier through school, after all, Hicchan~!" Misha half-shouts with a bright grin on her lips, and it seems like she actually enjoyed my comment about her hard working attitude instead of taking it as an insult, as I presume someone else in our group would. As I turn to Shizune, her eyes seem to burn with the fires of hell, so I guess my presumption was correct, and I am saved solely by the fact that I didn't actually say it to her. "But we need to work now!"  
"Right, right," I respond as I take a glance at the current question to be answered, which actually turns out to be quite difficult. With help from Shizune I'm able to explain the problem to Misha, who seems to have had some trouble with that.

"Wow, Hicchan, you're really smart," the girl with the drills exclaim, having finally understood the problem. A face filled with surprise is aimed at me, and I'm not sure whether to take it as a compliment or as an insult.

"I wouldn't say smart, but I simply happen to have ease for subjects based on logical conclusions," I respond, to which Shizune does some signing.

"Shicchan says that you're underestimating yourself, Hicchan~" Misha translates, now with a smile on her lips.

"Well then, Miss Hakamichi, I feel wonderful hearing such a thing from you," I state with an easy bow, and she gives me a smile as she has it translated to her.

"Wait, you can accept a compliment from Shicchan, but not one from me?" Misha shows me what appears to be a copy of a copy of a pout at this, which almost makes me laugh, but I'm able to keep myself.

"I shall blame it on the difference in influence between a member and a president." I let a small smile take shape on my lips as I say this. "Now, let's continue working on this so we don't end up finishing later than everyone else." My words seem to start a spark within Shizune's mind, and suddenly we are working at a speed I didn't even realize was possible.

It doesn't take long before we're finished, and while we're not the first group to finish, we're far from the last to do so. Most people to be relaxing instead of actually doing any work (Not that I blame them), and even the ones who are working on the assignment don't seem to be rather serious about it. At this pace it doesn't at all take long before the final period before lunch finishes, and after placing my desk back at the window where it's supposed to be I see a figure in the corner of my vision; I turn there to see none other than a certain Miura Miki standing there, Suzu next to her.

"Yo, Hisao, wanna join us for lunch?" the dark-skinned girl asks me with her usual grin covering her face, her companion seeming quite indifferent as she looks at me. Indifference is better than something negative, I guess, and even so I think that Suzu merely shows herself indifferent, while she actually does care about things. Not that I should think about these topics, really.

"Would be lovely to share a meal with two beautiful, young ladies," I respond as I put the books I had during the former period in below the desk and pushing the chair in beneath the desk. Most people are still socializing, so the vast majority has yet to actually leave the classroom. A few steps towards the door and I turn my head to the girls behind me as I walk. "Let's be off, shall we?"  
"Aren't you supposed to be the new student who completely lacks knowledge of the school's interior?" Miki asks, her grin growing a bit larger as she does.

"While new, I've ended up doing my fair share of exploring," I say as I continue walking, turning my body a little more to the side to have easier access to my companions. "With 'therapeutic leave' and missio-"

The sudden crash with something interrupts my speech and I instinctively back off a step as I move my gaze forward to what I just crashed into, which turns out to be a blonde female about my own length.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry! My mistake, I should have been looking where I was going. Please, tell me you are alright," I quickly half-shout as I walk up to the girl I just bumped into and press my hand against her back, my other hand gently placing itself on top of her wrist.

"My, my, Hisao, no need to worry, we merely bumped into each other. Barely even that," Lilly assures me that it is fine, and while it is true that it wasn't much of a collision, I still feel as if I should have been more careful. I don't want to think that it's because she's blind, but that I treat everyone as something fragile, but I'm far from sure about my own motivations.

"While that might be true, I do feel truly sorry. You're completely sure you're fine?" I want to completely put my mind at ease before continuing along.

"Yes, I'm fine, Hisao. No need to be worried," Lilly again assures me with a smile not unlike an angel's.

"I was just joking about the harem..." Miki half-whispers behind me, almost at a tone where it could be considered muttering.

"What was that?" the blonde girl asks.

"Just an inside joke, no need to worry about it. But you are completely 100% sure you're fine?"  
"Yes, I am fine." Her voice has a slightly stronger tone, and I choose to believe her now, to keep myself from setting the seed for some kind of rage within the beauty before me.

"Lilly..." a small voice behind us mutters, and I turn towards it to see the purple-haired, shy, scarred girl sitting in back row. So this must be the friend she mentioned yesterday.

"Ah, Hanako. No need to worry, we just had a small collision, and Hisao here's been doing enough worrying as it is," Lilly explains to the girl who must be named Hanako, whom I nod to with a smile.

"It's... f-fine, then," she stutters out, seeming to feel at least uncomfortable, if not worse, with the attention, so I direct mine back towards Lilly.

"Even if there's no worry needed, I need to pay you back in some way. I can't just let my own ignorance become a hindrance for others like that," I tell the blonde girl, just afterward realizing that my pulse seems to be a bit higher than it should be, which I guess I could blame on this incident that was caused solely by my own failure.

"Are you giving me a choice?" she asks me with a small giggle, the smile that had almost been lost from her lips now returning.

"Not in a million years," I respond as I turn to look back on my companions, who both seem to have grown bored of this scene. "It seems that we'll have to discuss that another time, though, as my companions seem to find this scene rather dull. Some other time, Lilly."

"It will be interesting to see what you have in mind, Hisao," the tall girl responds as I start walking past her and out the door, again nodding at the one called Hanako who appears to try to hide behind herself at the attention. Sorry, Hanako.

"Did you just turn bumping into someone into a guaranteed date?" Miki asks me, seeming quite surprised, or maybe even shocked, as she says it.

"...Guess I did," I respond, trying my best at a funny grin and ruffling my hair for comedic purpose, which seems to succeed as Miki gives a small laugh. I turn to Suzu, who's watching me with her usual, nonchalant expression.

"Could we get going? I want lunch," the turquoise-haired girl says, still watching me, and I seem to have dragged out the time taken more than she'd like. Sorry, Suzu.

"Of course," is my answer, and I start walking forward, looking up just in time to see something resembling a speeding projectile coming at me. My instincts kick in and tell me to take place against the wall, but it seems that the thing coming at me must have reacted by going in the exact same direction, because in the blink of an eye I'm hit by someone running straight into my chest.

I fall.

"Hisao...?"

I'm falling.

"Hisao!?"

My vision's going black.

'No direct collisions against your chest area.'  
My pulse was already high.

"Hisao!"

Someone ran into me.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Why can't I breathe?

"Hisao!"

Why can't I move?

"HISAO!"

Why's everything black?

"**HISAO!"**

Why...?

Like that, everything disappears from my world, an endless void enveloping me, swallowing me whole like the whale swallowed Jonah, and the darkness takes control, pushes itself into me, takes over my body, leaving me completely and utterly empty.

So long, and thanks for all the ramen.

**What will happen to our hero now that he's been enveloped by the darkness?**

**Who was it that pushed him past his limit?**

**Will Suzu ever agree to wear a neko cosplay?**

**Find out this and more, in the next chapter of Katawa Shoujo: Melancholy and the Meaning of Life!**


	10. The Death and the Rasberry

**I'm sleep-deprived and I felt like writing. Might be wonky writing, might be wonky grammar, might be wonky story, I don't care. I'm sleepy and writy and it doesn't add up and just read the goddamn chapter, will ye?**

An eternal void in which senses serve no purpose, for it is, quite simply, none; an existence completely disregarding the rules of our world, as if it were taunting our tries at determining laws of physics. The utmost disregard for whatever we might have thought we knew about the universe, laughing in our faces for even trying something so pitiful as trying to give some kind of meaning to our completely meaningless existence within the void. Forever lonesome, stuck within the eternal darkness of our own minds.

Where am I, exactly...? My last memory that I'm able to actually decipher from the blur of what I presume to be whatever caused me ending up where I am now is exiting the classroom. It just blurs out there, and suddenly I'm stuck in this eternal non-existence filled with a darkness darker than darkness should be able to. Stuck beneath the surface, unable to reach up.

This is the second time I've experienced this void, and the last time it happened I woke up after a six-day long coma, having had a heart attack and practically annihilated several arteries. To think what might have happened this time... but I can't let that kind of thing get to me; if I did end up getting destroyed a second time I'd just have to return from the ashes once again, even brighter this time. I push forward and swim towards whatever feels like up, towards the surface of this nightmarish darkness that sealed me away once before. Upwards, towards the skies, towards the sun and moon, towards the stars...

…

…

A rattle of death leaves my throat as I open my eyes, immediately to close them again as the light was by far too bright for my eyes. The red of my eyelids contrasts quite a bit to the dreamworld which is already starting to fade from my mind, and I'm comfortable in knowing that I was able to get out of there.

"Hisao," a voice tells me, and I feel a hand on top of my own. I open my eyes just a bit, to try to get a view of who's beside me, since it seems that I am unable to actually link a voice to a person currently, but it's still too bright, so I choose to just let myself get used to the real world before opening my eyes.

Finally having gotten used to this dimension, I slowly open my eyes to reveal that the one sitting next to what I believe to be a bed I'm lying in is Suzuki Suzu. She's sitting close. Awfully close, I'd have to say. But that and the fact that she's holding onto my hand doesn't really matter; what does is the worried expression on her face, one you'd expect to see from someone unable to do anything as they're seeing a kitten drown... Where I got that metaphor from, I haven't the faintest idea, nor do I wish to know.

"What... happened?" I slowly ask, trying to get my own vocal cords to obey me instead of doing some strange kind of gurgle-esque sound, and I almost succeed, although my voice does sound rather awful. My eyes are as focused on Suzu's as they can be in my current, barely awake state.

"A girl ran into you and you fainted," she explains, leaving out a majority of details, but enough for me to understand the situation; I do not seem to have had any major heart failures, so I should be good. "We're currently in the school infirmary."

I return my eyes to a closed state, moving my face to a position pointed at the roof, and take a few deep breaths to awaken myself. It seems to work, somewhat, and I open my eyes again as I turn to Suzu, this time with a minor smile covering my lips, as I turn the hand she's holding onto over and gripping hers. My mouth moves in the manner of saying "Thanks," but I don't put any force into my throat, so no actual sound comes out.

"Ah, Nakai, you're awake," a voice says as they pass through the newly opened door to the infirmary, and looking over I see not only that I'm the only one situated as a patient in the room, but also that the one who entered is none other than Yamaku's head nurse. "No need to worry, you just had a collision and lost consciousness."

"How long was I out?" I ask, not coming up with anything else that I feel would be good to know at the moment, as my condition seems to be stable. Although my body feels a bit stale, I don't experience any pain or anything of the kind, so I should be pretty much fine.

"We were reported of the incident about an hour ago," he answers, a serious face that does not suit him covering his face. An hour... That should mean that it's about time for lunch to end and for the next period to start. "I'll give you the rest of the day off to rest."

"Thank you, but no, thanks. I'd like to return to class, actually," I respond, turning and giving Suzu a look as I do so. Although her face still shows the same worried expression it did before, she does not object, so I give another smile to her and squeeze her hand a little, trying to mentally tell her not to worry.

"Before that we should have some lunch," someone says from the entrance to the room, and a quick glance reveals that it's none other than Miki, who's trying to balance a plate with three cans of drinks and several smaller plates with different dishes. "We did say we'd have lunch together, after all."

I'm left speechless at the grinning girl coming into the room, so I turn to Suzu, who turns out to be wearing a small smile herself, so I decide to just smile at Miki and take whatever turns out from these events as it happens. Now's time for lunch, after all.

"Thanks, Miki," I say as I drag myself up into a sitting position on the bed while the grinning girl takes a seat on the other side of the bed I'm lying on, making sure not to spill anything as she places the tray on the nightstand. In the corner of my eye I see the nurse leaving the room, a grin plastered on his face as he does so, almost as if he were trying to mentally say something along the lines of "Showoff." Not that I give a damn about that.

"Couldn't just leave you here without food. Especially not when you have my best friend stuck by your side," she tells me before exhaling quite loudly, trying to show off what energy it took her to get the tray here without spilling anything. Not that we'd noticed if she did, so it's very possible that her little play is no more than a mere charade. A slight pressure on my left hand reminds me that Suzu's still holding onto it, but I decide not to do anything about it; if it makes her feel better somehow, there isn't much of a reason to stop it, is there? I can't say that it doesn't improve my mentality, either.

"Oh really? You completely sure you didn't just want to serve me since you admire me, oh, so much?" I tease her a bit, a smile on my lips, although I'm most certain that the attempt was a failed one and did in no way reach her as such. A glance over at the tray tells me that the three cans have most likely been picked completely at random, but I want to make sure that I don't end up taking something someone else wished for, as I don't really have any particular preference between the three possibilities. "Any certain drink you want, Suzu?"

"I'm fine with whatever," the girl with the turquoise hair answers me, so I grab one of the three cans with my right hand and hand it over to her before grabbing one for myself. 'Coconut milk soda'. Quite interesting, if I say so myself.

Grabbing a plate from the tray, we start our meal in the school infirmary of Yamaku High, 'for youngsters with special needs', and somehow I feel a sense of... nostalgia? No, that's not it, it's more like... warmth, really. A warmth I haven't experienced in several eternities that has finally returned to me, in the form of the compassion people share at Yamaku. While my sentimental bullshit makes me want to vomit, it is completely true; while I did despise the idea of transferring at first, now that I'm actually here it doesn't feel all that bad. A chance to restart isn't given to most people, even if the restart is one where you have several problems you lacked before it. Nobody's perfect, and that's how it should be.

…...

Entering the classroom of class 3-3, everyone in the classroom seem to focus their gaze on me; to be expected, having passed out outside the classroom a period and a lunch break ago. Ignoring their blatant stares I walk toward my seat on the leftmost row of desks in the classroom, just next to the windows. Nodding to the classmates I pass on my way there, a small, albeit faked, smile covers my lips, and I realize that I might actually be a bit more uncomfortable with attention than I thought I was. Self-realization day, eh?

"Hicchan? Are you okay?" Misha asks as I pull out my chair and sit down on it, and turning to her she seems quite worried about what my condition might be. I reach over and poke her in the arm as the faked smile on my lips grows a bit larger and a bit more real.

"If I wasn't okay I wouldn't be in class, would I?" Excluding the soreness and bruises from collapsing onto the floor and the tiredness of having strained my heart to such a degree, I actually feel quite good. Although that might just be the dopamine finally hitting my brain, but even so I feel quite good about it. Misha takes on a smile, although a small one, but still a smile.

"Guess so," she answers, before turning to the blue-haired student council president who's poking her side to get her attention, and they start signing a conversation that I can't understand the slightest of. The pink-haired girl soon turns back to me. "Shicchan wants to congratulate you on the patriotism you have shown by returning to class after such an incident." A look over at Shizune shows that she's looking at me with the sisterly smile she's shown me several times before. Thanks, Shizune. I nod to her with a smile still on my lips.

It's not all that long before the teacher of the next period appears, and the time until then is spent giving whatever people I gain eye contact with confirming nods that I will, in fact, not collapse on my desk, never to wake up again.

…...

"So how am I to help the student council today?" My question startles Misha, who does not seem to have noticed me walking up to her and her blue-haired partner. She looks up to me, as Shizune already has, and a quick conversation in sign language later she again turns to me.

"Are you sure you should be doing work? Shicchan thinks it would be better for you to rest..."

"I'm well aware of my own limits, Student Council President and partner, and I wish to help you, seeing as I happen to be indebted to you." That first part was, quite obviously (or at least so to myself) a lie, but it should be enough to get my point across. I'd feel bad just lounging around, doing nothing, so a little work for the festival would probably do me some good, or at least not do me bad. Misha sighs, and after a quick conversation with Shizune she takes out a piece of paper and starts writing something on it, looking up and signing a little with her partner every now and then.

"Here's a list of things we need for the last preparations before the festival. Would be great if you could go to the art room and collect it for us," she finally tells me, handing me the paper, a slightly worried expression still covering her face, but she doesn't actually say anything about it. A glance to the side reveals that the same appears to be true for her partner. "We'll go and get some plywood if you fix that, alright?"

I nod, and Misha explains the location of the art room to me, taking care to ask whether I'll be fine with getting the supplies. The smile on my lips seems to reassure them that I will, in fact, be fine without someone watching my every move, so finally the two allow me to leave and perform my duties as a helper of the student council. As I exit the classroom and look down the hallway, though, I encounter another person that I deem necessary to have a conversation with.

"Ah, Lilly," I say before clicking my tongue once and walking over to the blonde, tall girl that I, unless I made that memory up, bumped into right before passing out. She turns to me, and the same worried expression I've witnessed on far too many faces for my mental well-being since the incident.

"Hisao! Are you quite alright?" she asks, her voice carrying a tone mirroring the expression covering her face, which annoys me slightly, however much I don't want it to. Of course others will be worried about the guy who passed out in the hallway just four hours ago, but it makes me feel weak, as if it's my own fault others are worried about me. It's obvious that I shouldn't; it's not my fault I have a chronic heart condition, but knowing something logically and emotionally are completely different things.

"I'm completely fine, disregarding a bit of stiffness in my joints," I say, moving my hand up and touching her cheek with my thumb, which startles her a bit, making it difficult for me not to laugh a little. The hand and arm is then lowered back to my side. "If you're worrying, don't. As long as I have no further collisions like that one and my pulse doesn't go unreasonably high nothing will happen."

"So... there's no need to be worried, correct?" she asks, still looking a bit worried, but at least trying to hide it with a smile. Mentally thanking her doesn't feel isn't enough, although I do feel as if she might feel left out by my not continuing on the subject of my heart, but I don't feel as if I have the energy to explain it right now. I've got work to do, I guess.

"No need to be worried. I assure you that no harm will come onto me as long as I remain here, at Yamaku. Is that good enough for you?" Saying this, I again bring my thumb onto Lilly, who is not startled this time, but blushes instead, the smile on her lips seeming to gain some warmth at either my words or my touch.

"As long as you hold that promise, that is good enough for me. Now, what we were speaking of as our conversation was interrupted..."

"My compensation for lack of observance and resulting injury to you, m'lady?" Whether her mention of the subject is out of sympathy or compassion or whatever, might as well take whatever chances you get in life, no? "While I haven't been around here long enough to know much of any places, I wouldn't mind spending a day with you around town. Since projects for the festival are meant to be finished by Friday, that would leave you free Saturday, would it not?"

"My, yes, it would," Lilly responds, her cheeks going even redder as I brush my thumb slightly across it, a giggle leaving her.

"Well then, how about we meet up after class and head in to town for some lunch and other fun?" I ask, letting my hand leave the blonde girl's cheek and dropping it to my side instead.

"That would be lovely, Hisao," she responds, the smile still covering her lips. Although there's nothing special about the hallway lighting, it does seem as if she's reflecting some sort of holy light onto the world, giving warmth to Yamaku High.

"With that settled, I'll have to say that I'm busy at the moment. Not that I don't wish to put you before prior arrangements, but I do have to hold my honor to work that I myself asked for. We'll meet latest on Saturday then, Lilly." Before I'm even able to think it through myself, I've grabbed Lilly's left hand, the one not preoccupied with carrying her cane, and put it to my lips. Another giggle reaches my ears as I let go of her hand and after a second or two of thinking start walking past her towards the art room. "Ciao, Lilly."

"Goodbye, Hisao. See you," she responds, and it takes a few seconds before I realize what it is that she just said, which makes me laugh. Good one, Lilly. With that in mind, I continue towards the room in which I am to find the supplies for the upcoming school festival.

Although the art room's just down the very hallway I'm already in, I do take my time walking the few steps it takes to get there, since I don't believe myself to have a specified limit on how long I'm allowed to take. Approaching the door that says Art Room with long but incredibly slow steps is actually quite a nice way to spend time, but sooner rather than later the walk has to be finished, and I stand in front of the closed entrance to the room.

"Anybody home?" I ask, after having knocked and opened the door. A calm and serene atmosphere, as if the room had been deserted for years, yet kept from getting dusty or anything else of the kind. The room outside of the space/time-continuum, in which nothing ever has, and nothing ever will happen. In eternity, no one can hear you scream. Scanning the room, however, I notice one thing that clarifies that there have been people hear within the last few years; namely, a red-haired girl lacking arms. As her foot, holding a fork with some food on it, stops, her attention seems to go straight to me, her eyes almost drilling through my entire existence.

"Hello," she says.


	11. Holder of Mystery

**This is the chapter in which I fully learned the difficulty in writing American English compared to British, and I'll be damned if I'm going to write toward instead of towards. Eat my dust, dustmites.**

Standing in the entrance to the art room, I am stunned from the perplex brought to me by the red-haired girl whom I have failed to notice while entering. Disregarding her lack of arms, she looks comparatively skinny, although it's difficult to see from her leaning position, and one leg in the air with a fork between its toes distracting me. She's wearing a male uniform, and while surprising, I do realize that it would be quite reasonable, as she seems to use her feet a lot.

Most noticeable, though, are her incredibly large eyes, a deep green that appears to reflect the light in the room in a fashion I've never seen eyes do before in my life. While they're aimed straight at me, it almost feels as if she is looking into something else than my physical form, as if she were able to directly witness my soul. Her nose and chin seem a bit boney, which serves to further my suspicion of her skinniness, and her lips, which look to be a bit dry, are quite thin, too. With the male uniform, I wouldn't be surprised if someone were to misplace her as a boy, actually.

"Hello," she repeats before letting the fork between her toes to her mouth and chewing on the food she got from it. The dexterity she's showing with her feet is quite... intriguing, to say the least, but I opt to focus my attention on her face instead of her toes.

"Hello, indeed," I respond as the dextrous girl continues to chew on the food that seems to have come from a lunchbox sitting in front of her on the table. Why she's sitting on a table in the art room after school, eating from a lunch box, I'd have to take a number of guesses on before being correct, I believe.

"Sorry if I said 'Hello' twice," she says after swallowing the food in her mouth and turning to look out the window. "I do that sometimes. Repeat myself. And you didn't seem to react when I think I first said it, so I thought I'd say it again. Which would've been useless if you turned out to be deaf." For some reason the girl's words get me into a positive mood, quite unlike that which I'd expected to have after being looked after for an afternoon. I'm not entirely sure what to think about her choice of subject for conversation, but it is, like her dexterousness, intriguing.

"Then I guess it's for the better that I'm able to hear you," I respond, clicking my tongue. Sorry, Shizune. "Nakai Hisao, by the way." Taking the list of items out of my pocket I start looking through it and walking toward where I happen to see the first item on the list.

"Tezuka Rin. That's my name, as I believe you just told me yours, unless 'Nakai Hisao' is some strange codeword that's supposed to mean something. In that case I don't know what it means," the girl apparently named Tezuka answers, and a glance back tells me she's still looking out the window.

"It's my name. And I'd expect this room to be empty as of now," I state as I look through a box for another item on the list given to me just a few minutes ago by the ever-so chirpy Misha. Being worried absolutely didn't fir the drill-haired girl at all.

"So would I. That's why I came here." Turning around, she seems to have turned her attention to me now, but her expression does seem rather cloudy, as if she herself doesn't know what she's thinking. It seems philosophical, to some degree.

"So we both broke that belief for each other." Continuing to look for the next object on the list, I take another look towards Tezuka, who's now looking at me with what appears to be a smug grin.

"Guess we did," she answers, before letting her eyes drop down back onto her lunch box, seeming to think a little before again letting her gaze up towards me. "May I continue my lunch? I'm hungry."

"Go right ahead. Although it does seem closer to dinner than lunch, going by the clock," I answer her question, going back to looking for the supplies desired by the student council duo, scanning the list once again to make sure I'm actually looking for the right thing and not blindly searching for something unnecessary. Apparently my memory has served me this time, and I am, in fact, looking for the right thing. Yay, me.

"But I want to eat dinner too, and if I don't eat now my delicious boxed lunch would go to waste. There should be a word for a meal between lunch and dinner. I've thought about that a lot," she states before I hear the sound of chewing and swallowing.

"At least you're thinking about things that would make life more comfortable," I voice my thoughts, a small scoffing leaving me as I do, the thought of the girl eating a non-lunch on top of a table in the art room of Yamaku seeming hilarious. "There's a lot of thinking done that does the opposite, I'd say."

"Then the people who do that kind of thinking should stop thinking those thoughts. I think." Her response is sequel and prequel to the sounds of eating, and her words get me to drop my expression a bit. Not that my facade has been broken, but rather that Tezuka doesn't appear likely to notice if I were to do so unless she was actively concentrating specifically on me, which doesn't seem incredibly likely in its own right.

"Yeah, I guess they should..." Goddamnit Hisao, stop being melancholic! So far it's done nothing but make others around you uncomfortable, and while that's a valuable power to have it should not be overused!

Inhale, exhale. Remember those two words. Breathe in the deepest breath you've ever breathed, and breathe it out. A sigh is heaved, and I straighten myself to disperse of the dark emotions residing within my body, if only for the time being, and I turn my head towards Tezuka to see her appearing to be done with her lunchbox, despite it not being empty. Suddenly, her attention is, again, aimed directly at me.

"So, Nakai, what brings you here?" she asks, aiming the foot handling the fork towards me, almost as if she was trying to throw the fork at me in the most hilarious and awesome ninja-move of all time.

"That depends on your scale of things. Do you mean this particular room, or maybe the universe in general?" I ask Tezuka in a manner that seems like one she'd use herself, from what little I've observed so far, and from the returning grin it seems that I was able to hit the nail on the head.

"This school. You look fine, so it's something not visible, right?" Slightly stunned from her words, I turn back and continue looking for the next object on the list, embarrassed about being embarrassed.

"What if I chose to come to this school simply because I wanted to, and not because of some health problem?" I ask, trying to do my best at keeping up the logic-breaking demeanor I've had during the rest of the conversation.

"You don't seem like someone who'd do that. I'm usually quite good at seeing things like that. Better than most. At knowing things, I mean. Not at not being someone." She hesitates for a moment after that, stopping mid-line as if to remember what it was she was meant to say. "Let me guess. Knowing and guessing are sort of the same things, so I'm good at both."

I turn to her, pressing my hands against my sides and pushing my elbows outward to give some kind of strange pose, and Tezuka starts analyzing me with a gaze that almost seems like a slow camera. After having looked me over a couple of times she closes her eyes, and appears to think about what condition might have taken me to this school for 'youngsters with special needs'. Finally, her eyelids are opened to reveal the still surprisingly large eyes.

"The problem mu-"

"Heart. I have a bad heart. It beats strangely," I break her off, not really sure why, although a guess would be that it felt fun to see how she'd react to it. She almost seems to... break, as her mouth remains open, and her entire body gives the impression of having frozen, maybe even forgetting to breathe. Finally, she drops to an expression that almost crosses the line to being considered a sad one.

"I was gonna guess on a problem in your pants. I already have several with heart problems."

"'Have'?" I drop my arms back down to my sides.

"I collect problems. Trying to get an entire body," Tezuka responds, turning over and looking out the window, and I turn back to look for the few things left on my list.

"Ah... Well, heart problems wouldn't be incredibly uncommon to find, in that case." I suddenly realize exactly what her statement before the former one was. "And you don't have anyone with a problem in their pants. I guess one of my medications has a risk of causing erectile dysfunction, if that's good enough for you."

"Huh. I guess that works."

Another few minutes pass in silence as I search and find the last items on the list given to me by the pink-haired partner of the student council president. Feeling satisfied with my findings, I start heading towards the door to leave the room, but turn back to Tezuka once to have some kind of ending to our 'meeting'.

"Well then, I'll be leaving. Adieu, Tezuka."

"Rin. I think we're in a close enough relationship to refer to each other by given names by now. If you're fine with that."

"I see no problem with it." A small grin forces itself upon my lips at the rather strange, but incredibly interesting, individual, sitting at a table in the art room of Yamaku, her attention focused on none other than moi. "Well then, goodbye, Rin."

"See you, Hisao," she says, the same smug grin she wielded earlier returning to her lips as she does so. "I think I'll take a nap. Naps are nice. It's like sleeping, but they feel better because you're not limited by morning. Or Emi, for that matter." Emi. I recognize that as the name of a very certain someone who ran into me earlier this very day, resulting in a lunch spent in the infirmary. Not sure whether to be angry or happy or that, so I decide on neither.

"Would this nuisance of yours happen to be Ibarazaki Emi?" I ask, dwelling into the realms of names that are the students of Yamaku. I don't really have any reason to know of any connection between the two, but if I'm going to force myself into peoples lives I might as well do it thoroughly.

"Yep. You know her?" Rin looks at me with a wondering expression that somehow makes her otherwise bony face look rather cute.

"Rather than 'know', I guess you could say we ran into each other. Or that she ran into me. With the speed of a bullet."

"That happens a lot. I'll tell her you said hi."

"Be sure to mention that I'm alive. She might be worried, otherwise," I state, letting a small smile to my lips that seem to have returned to a straight line before this. "Well then, I'll really be off now, unless any other circumstances hinder me. Bye, Rin." I turn around and head towards the door, the redhead mumbling something that sounds like a farewell as a sound suggests that she's lying down on the table.

Exiting the art room and turning around to close the door, I hear sneaking steps coming toward me from behind, and almost instinctively I bend my back slightly forward as I spin around to find... none other than Misha taking a leap and landing with her face right in front of mine. A couple of inches separate our faces, and staring into those large, hazel eyes is quite the entertaining act, neither of us saying anything. Finally, I realize that it would probably be a better idea to actually say something than just stand here, watching each other intently for the rest of the day.

"So what might bring you here, Misha?" I ask, keeping my face at the exact same distance from hers as I have until now, and my field of view is pretty much limited to those golden brown eyes, although I do see a hint of a drill on each side in the corner of my vision. No idea as to why, I push my own face half an inch forward, which serves to have Misha back off, but only half as much as I moved closer.

"Shicchan and I were wondering what was taking you so long, Hicchan~" she responds with a cheery, yet serious voice, and the tones seem to contrast, as if she were speaking with two voices at once. In a way, I guess you could say she is, with the interpretation she's constantly doing for her partner, whom I assume to be standing somewhere behind her, unless Misha's genuine care for me isn't shared by Shizune. I sigh, turn my head downwards, take a step back and stand up straight.

"While I will have to thank you for making sure that I'm not falling and not getting up at a moment's notice, I'll have you know that I've made a promise not to have a heart attack while I'm at Yamaku," I state, heightening my face again and seeing that I was correct in my guess that Shizune was standing behind Misha. She seems to have been trying to take a peek at me from her position while her pink-haired friend and I were having our, partially literal, face-off. Looking back down at Misha, who's still standing just a few inches away from me, she's wearing quite the serious expression.

"And you're completely sure you can abide by this promise of yours?" she asks, almost as if she were some kind of government agent making sure that I have not committed an illegal spy operation. As she furrows her brow a bit, she lowers her head, which results in her drills bopping, which is quite cute, to say the least.

"As sure as a teenage boy with a chronic heart condition can be." 'Not sure at all', basically, but I'll do my best, both for you, Misha, and for Lilly, whom I made the promise with. That good enough for you?

"Good~," she says, closing her eyes, heightening her head, and putting on a grin the size of a CD. I'll have to say, you do have incredibly nice, white teeth, Misha. How do you keep them that way? "Then what was it that took so much of your time?"

"I had a rather intriguing conversation on non-lunch. Sorry for making you worry, but from my perspective I'll have to say that it was worth it," I answer her question and put on a smile as the girl with the drills puts on a questioning expression before turning back to Shizune and conversing for a bit in a language I understand nothing of. Huh, maybe I should learn it. Would make speaking with the eagle easier, and it would look quite good on my resume in the future. Of course, the question is whether sign language is easier, harder, or just as difficult to learn as a 'voiced' language is, the latter two possibilities setting up quite a problem, since languages have never been my strong side. I don't think I've ever gotten above 80 on a Japanese test, actually.

"Well then, we'll have to inspect regarding this information we've gotten, as that does sound as an excuse for some prohibited activity," Misha states, turning back to me, and before I'm able to react Shizune's pushing her way past me, thankfully on the side with which I'm not carrying items she herself specifically asked for, as that would have most likely resulted in my dropping of them. The following reaction to witnessing someone lying on a table, probably already asleep, is most likely impossible to explain in words, but I'll make an attempt; her body tenses to the state of resembling a statue, as her skin goes as blank as snow, freezing to a temperature colder than that necessary to have hell freeze over, and her eyes shake as if they are about to pop out.

Slamming the door shut, the student council president turns to me and doesn't even bother signing anything to exclaim the dark emotions running through her body at this moment, but the soul-devouring stare she carries is enough to make the point come across. She takes a few inhumanly long steps forward, passing both me and Misha, and a look to the pink-haired girl reveals that she currently looks almost... scared.

"Hello?" a voice suddenly asks from beyond the door, and it takes a few moments for me to realize the immediate problem Rin might be facing with getting the door opened, so I decide to help her on that front. Her exit is opened, and she leaves the room with a tired expression, looking around a little before settling her eyes on nothing in particular, which looks stranger than it sounds. "I didn't know I was this popular."

"Disregarding popularity, it seems that the student council president has taken to aggression regarding your illicit repose on school furnishing," I comment, stepping a bit to the side to allow the redhead to move into the hallway, which she does, as I close the door behind her before turning back to the other two girls, and it appears that the pink-haired one is trying to calm down her companion in a blistering sign conversation more resemblant of a battle of blades than a discussion.

"It looks like they're fighting. Not fighting like when you yell at someone because you're angry. Fighting like in movies," Rin voices what my mind has already stated, and a look towards her shows that she is, in fact, looking at the debate with the analytic gaze of... an artist, I guess? That would explain why she was, quite specifically, in the art room... Before I'm able to completely go off on a mental tangent, though, Misha seems to have given up on calming down Shizune, as she lets her face down and the latter aims her mad gaze at Rin, whom it appears to have no effect on.

"Besides the imminent matter of misuse of school furniture, we, the student council, wonder if Tezuka actually has the time to relax, as the mural she is meant to make has yet to be finished," Misha says with a defeated tone, refraining from raising her head... or maybe the better term would be 'continuing to keep her head down', as her defeat was so great that for the moment it seems to be the basic form of things.

"Huh," Rin responds. "You're probably right. I'll have to postpone my nap, I think." That would make her being an artist correct, explaining her analytical gaze and spending time in the art room... I think. Maybe she'd be like that whether she was an artist or not, but who am I to judge others behavior based on their past-times?

"Well then, that will be perfect, Tezuka," Misha says as she finally raises her head again, slowly, as if it were the most difficult task throughout her entire life. Are... are her eyes tearing up? Shizune, you're one scary student council president, you know that, right? "Now then, Hicchan~. Let me take those supplies back to the student council room." Whether she's trying her best to appear blithe or her vocal chords have gotten so used to it that it's difficult to not have such a tone is a question I am unable to answer. Nonetheless, the girls with the bobbing drills takes a step forward me, and instinctively I back off, but hit the door, and she takes the bag of items on my side.

"Misha..." I say, my eyes locking onto hers with worry, but she gives a slight smile, sending the message that she'll be okay across. As she grabs the bag, though, I, for reasons unknown to myself, throw my arms around her in a spontaneous hug. I feel her stiffen within my arms, just for a second, but then she relaxes, although a look over her head reveals that Shizune is just as, if not more, shocked than Misha herself was just a second ago.

"You're a really strange guy, Hicchan~," she says, her bubbly voice returning to her, and she goes silent for a moment before starting to laugh the vivacious laughter I've gotten used to after only three days at this academy. An exuberant laughter, the kind that, although carrying the power of being found incredibly annoying, can also lighten up the mood of a situation with ease.

"Has strange guy Hisao been successful?" I ask, letting go as Misha's laughter slowly ceases, finally completely disappearing. Looking at her, she now seems completely fine, so I guess this 'strangeness' of mine has been good for something.

"He has~," she responds, drills bobbing as she does, her teeth-showing grin having returned. A look over Misha reveals that her comrade is turned to the side, looking at us through the corner of her eye, blushing. The hugged one does as I have and looks over there, to giggle at the sight of Shizune blushing at our earlier commission. The latter, realizing that we're looking at her, turns to Misha with an angered yet blushing face and starts rapidly signing something, which makes the drill-haired girl laugh. "We should get going now. Bye, Tezuka, Hicchan~" The student council duo leaves, signing a conversation that's rather difficult for the one carrying a bag to hold.

"Didn't expect that," Rin, who's remained largely silent until now, says, and I turn to her with a wondering expression regarding her statement. "The hug. I mean, I didn't expect anything of what just happened to happen, but the largest surprise was the hug. I think. Maybe there was something else so shocking I decided to forget it. I do that sometimes. Forget things, I mean. I'm not good at getting shocked. At least not that I remember." She seems finished with this monologue of hers.

"They mentioned a mural. Care to explain?" I ask, lacking any particular reason for doing so.

"I'm making a mural. For the festival." She stops for a moment, as if realizing something. "Although it'll be there after the festival, too, so I guess it's not only for the festival." Although she's supposed to have finished this mural of hers in only four days, it doesn't seem to concern her that much, so either she's close to finished or she just doesn't show that she cares, the question in the latter case being whether she actually does.

"Any way I could help?" I ask, determining that sticking with Rin will most likely result in a fairly interesting experience, as it already has been. In the very least, I'll be helping out with preparations for the festival while in the company of this enthralling girl. She freezes up, which, from my experience, appears to indicate her thinking, before finally aiming her gaze, which was fixated on nothing, towards me.

"You could help me carry some paint. It gets difficult, since it's problematic to jump around on one leg while carrying a bucket with the other."

**And so, the first chapter of (probably) two chapters to make up the Rin Arc has been released, along with the revised version of Chapter 10. Love all of you guys that actually read this, as I'd feel pretty bad about myself if I wrote it and nobody read it.**


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